Stunning Verdict

From a prosecutor’s point of view, the first civilian trial of a former Guantanamo Bay didn’t work out.  Ahmed Ghailani had been suspected of the 1998 bombing two U.S. embassies in Africa. This trial was supposed to be a sure thing for a few reasons. First of all, Ghailani was being charged for more than 280 counts of illegal activities, mainly including murder and conspiracy. Also, the jury was New York based so many thought that they would be biased against any suspected terrorist. Contrary to the general expectance, Ghailani was only found guilty on one charge of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property. Although this could get him 20 years to life in prison, the prosecution doesn’t see this as a win. One of the main problems was that much of the prosecution’s evidence couldn’t be used as it was obtained from Ghailani while he was being tortured. Primarily, this trial was testing Obama’s policy that military prisoners should be tried in civilian courts. Looks like Obama might have to find a new way to empty Guantanamo.

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/18/131409750/terrorism-verdict-casts-doubt-on-white-house-strategy