Republicans call for U.S. to scrap terror trials in civilian courts
Tanzanian Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first Guantanamo detainee tried in a U.S. civilian court, was found guilty of just one of the 285 terror charges he faced over the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa. The 36-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to damage or destroy U.S. property with explosives. But other counts—including murder and conspiracy—were cleared, though Ghailani still faces a minimum of 20 years in prison. Leading Republicans have demanded that U.S. President Barack Obama scrap plans to try the organizers of the 9/11 attacks in civilian courts in light of the New York jury’s verdict. Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate leader, said the verdict was “all the proof we need that the administration’s approach to prosecuting terrorists has been deeply misguided and indeed potentially harmful as a matter of national security.” However, Obama has said that the military commissions were damaging to the U.S. because the world regarded them as unjust, tainted by the mistreatment and torture.