First Guantanamo Detainee Tried in Civilian Court ,Guilty.. Reports Say

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani. (Getty)

MANHATTAN — A former Guantanamo Bay detainee was cleared of 284 charges in New York on Wednesday and found guilty on one count, according to several news reports.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, was the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be tried by a federal jury, reported the New York Post. The trial was the first test of the Obama administration's policy of trying terrorists in civilian court.
Ghailani faced 285 charges but was convicted of only one — conspiracy to destroy U.S. property, according to reports. He faces 20 years to life in prison on that charge.
The charges were related to Ghailani's participation in the 1998 Al Qaeda-led bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which resulted in the killing of 224 people, reported the AP.
The prosecution said they had a strong case showing that Ghailani played an integral role in the bombings, but were barred by the judge from using key evidence due to the nature in which it was received, reported The New York Times.
A witness who sold Ghailani the TNT that was used in the bombings was prohibited from testifying because the government learned of the man through Ghailani's interrogation while in CIA custody, where lawyers said he was tortured, reported the paper.
Regarding statements made by Ghailani that prosecutors said amounted "to a confession," defense lawyers argued they had been coerced and were not admissible, according to the Times.
Ghailani will be sentenced on Jan. 25.