BREAKING: Bin Laden spokesman pleads not guilty in NY federal court to conspiracy to kill Americans -BW
BREAKING: Bin Laden spokesman pleads not guilty in NY federal court to conspiracy to kill Americans -BW-- The Associated Press
On Friday, Abu Ghaith — bin Laden's closest living relative to face trial in the United States — entered a plea of not guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill Americans.
Abu Ghaith's federal court proceedings in New York come shortly after he was captured in Jordan and secretly transported to the U.S. The indictment was unsealed on Thursday, when Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, reaffirmed the U.S.'s commitment to pursuing those responsible for Sept. 11:
"It has been 13 years since Abu Ghaith allegedly worked alongside Osama bin Laden in his campaign of terror, and 13 years since he allegedly took to the public airwaves, exhorting others to embrace al-Qaeda's cause and warning of more terrorist attacks like the mass murder of 9/11."
In the days after Sept. 11, Abu Ghaith warned Americans in speeches that a "great army is gathering against you" and "the storms shall not stop — especially the airplanes storm."
Abu Ghaith reportedly spoke extensively to U.S. officials after his arrest, giving a statement that totaled 22 pages. A trial date will be set at his next hearing on April 8.