Bali bomb case starts in Guantanamo 18 years after capture
Source: Associated Press
NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (AP) Three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center had their first day in court Monday after being held by the U.S. for 18 years in connection with the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and other plots in Southeast Asia.
Indonesian prisoner Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, and two Malaysians started their arraignment at a hearing at the U.S. base in Cuba that repeatedly stalled because of issues involving courtroom interpreters. They face charges that include murder, conspiracy and terrorism. It is merely the first step in what could be a long legal journey for a case that involves evidence tainted by CIA torture, an issue that has caused other war crimes cases to languish for years at Guantanamo.
The hearing also comes as the Biden administration says it intends to close the detention center, where the U.S. still holds 39 of the 779 men seized in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and invasion of Afghanistan.
The three men charged in connection with the nightclub bombings were held in secret CIA confinement for three years, followed by 15 more at the isolated U.S. base in Cuba.
-snip-
By BEN FOX
an hour ago
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-guantanamo-bali-bombings-military-commission-e309b757057f42ecba60eaae073c4d19