Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law was appearing in court in America today, charged over his alleged involvement in the 9/11 New York terrorist attacks.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan and brought to the US by the FBI with the help of the Jordanian authorities.
Described as the late al Qaeda leader’s spokesman, Abu Ghaith will stand trial in New York City. He was appearing in federal court today in Lower Manhattan charged with conspiracy to kill American nationals. The court is only a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Centre, which was destroyed in the aircraft attacks on September 11, 2001 in which nearly 3,000 people died.
Bin Laden was killed in May 2011 during a raid on his hideout in Pakistan by a team of US commandos.
“Sulaiman Abu Ghaith held a key position in al Qaeda, comparable to the consigliere in a mob family or propaganda minister in a totalitarian regime,” said FBI chief George Venizelos. “He used his position to threaten the United States and incite its enemies.”
Abu Ghaith, a militant who appeared in videos representing al Qaeda after 9/11, is one of the highest-ranking figures in the terrorist group to be brought to the United States for civilian trial.
