Washington:
Osama bin Laden's former cook, who played a key role in the Al-Qaida chief's escape from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the US, has been sentenced to 14 years in jail by military jurors, but he could be released much sooner under a plea bargain.
The sentencing hearing of 51-year-old Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, who is from Sudan, took place in a military commission courtroom at the US naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday.
It followed his guilty plea in July during which he admitted that he was engaged in hostilities against the United States in violation of the laws of war.
Details of al-Qosi's plea deal remained secret, raising the possibility that he could serve a much shorter sentence or be repatriated to Sudan. He is only the fourth Guantanamo detainee to be convicted since the prison was opened in 2002. His sentencing was also the first such verdict at Guantanamo since President Barack Obama assumed office in January last year.
In a statement, the Pentagon said al-Qosi admitted that he intentionally supported Al-Qaida since at least 1996, when bin Laden issued an order urging his followers to commit acts of terrorism against the US.
At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutors presented evidence that al-Qosi performed an important function within Al-Qaida. He provided key logistics support to bin Laden at various Al-Qaida compounds in Afghanistan.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, he helped bin Laden and other Al-Qaida elements escape from Afghanistan in anticipation of a US invasion.
Al-Qosi was captured from Pakistan after he fled the Al-Qaida hideout at Tora Bora in Afghanistan during the US-led invasion in December 2001. The military trials were established by the Bush administration after the 9/11 attacks.
Bin Laden's driver Salim Hamdan and Australian David Hicks, who were convicted by the military jurors, had already served their sentences and returned home. Before the conviction of al-Qosi, there was only one convict at Guantanamo, Al-Qaida media chief Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, who was sentenced in 2008 to life in prison.
The sentencing hearing of 51-year-old Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, who is from Sudan, took place in a military commission courtroom at the US naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday.
It followed his guilty plea in July during which he admitted that he was engaged in hostilities against the United States in violation of the laws of war.
Details of al-Qosi's plea deal remained secret, raising the possibility that he could serve a much shorter sentence or be repatriated to Sudan. He is only the fourth Guantanamo detainee to be convicted since the prison was opened in 2002. His sentencing was also the first such verdict at Guantanamo since President Barack Obama assumed office in January last year.
In a statement, the Pentagon said al-Qosi admitted that he intentionally supported Al-Qaida since at least 1996, when bin Laden issued an order urging his followers to commit acts of terrorism against the US.
At the sentencing hearing, the prosecutors presented evidence that al-Qosi performed an important function within Al-Qaida. He provided key logistics support to bin Laden at various Al-Qaida compounds in Afghanistan.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, he helped bin Laden and other Al-Qaida elements escape from Afghanistan in anticipation of a US invasion.
Al-Qosi was captured from Pakistan after he fled the Al-Qaida hideout at Tora Bora in Afghanistan during the US-led invasion in December 2001. The military trials were established by the Bush administration after the 9/11 attacks.
Bin Laden's driver Salim Hamdan and Australian David Hicks, who were convicted by the military jurors, had already served their sentences and returned home. Before the conviction of al-Qosi, there was only one convict at Guantanamo, Al-Qaida media chief Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, who was sentenced in 2008 to life in prison.
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