A man identified as Suleiman Abu Ghaith appears in this still image taken from an undated video address
New York:
The terror trial of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and former Al-Qaeda spokesman opened in New York today amid razor-tight security at the Manhattan court house.
Suleiman Abu Ghaith is accused of conspiracy to kill Americans and supporting terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 people.
The 48-year-old suspect from Kuwait faces life behind bars if convicted and is one of the most senior alleged Al-Qaeda members to face a US trial.
Abu Ghaith wore an oversized beige blazer and open-necked white shirt as he sat next to his defence lawyers and listened to a simultaneous translation.
Judge Lewis Kaplan began selection for an anonymous jury shortly after 10 am (1500 GMT), eliminating a handful from 44 prospective members on grounds of hardship owing to their personal or work commitments.
Abu Ghaith is best known for appearing with bin Laden and the current leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in al-Qaeda propaganda videos in September 2001.
Married to bin Laden's daughter Fatima, US prosecutors say Abu Ghaith worked for Al-Qaeda until 2002, when he fled Afghanistan after the US invasion for Iran.
The prosecution claims he was complicit in the December 2001 shoe bombing plot to bring down an airliner flying from Paris to Miami. But the defence says the US has no evidence that Abu Ghaith was involved or even aware of such plots. The defendant pleads not guilty to all three counts.
Highlights of the trial are likely to be the two witnesses testifying by video link from Britain and Yemen. (AFP)
Suleiman Abu Ghaith is accused of conspiracy to kill Americans and supporting terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 people.
The 48-year-old suspect from Kuwait faces life behind bars if convicted and is one of the most senior alleged Al-Qaeda members to face a US trial.
Abu Ghaith wore an oversized beige blazer and open-necked white shirt as he sat next to his defence lawyers and listened to a simultaneous translation.
Judge Lewis Kaplan began selection for an anonymous jury shortly after 10 am (1500 GMT), eliminating a handful from 44 prospective members on grounds of hardship owing to their personal or work commitments.
Abu Ghaith is best known for appearing with bin Laden and the current leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in al-Qaeda propaganda videos in September 2001.
Married to bin Laden's daughter Fatima, US prosecutors say Abu Ghaith worked for Al-Qaeda until 2002, when he fled Afghanistan after the US invasion for Iran.
The prosecution claims he was complicit in the December 2001 shoe bombing plot to bring down an airliner flying from Paris to Miami. But the defence says the US has no evidence that Abu Ghaith was involved or even aware of such plots. The defendant pleads not guilty to all three counts.
Highlights of the trial are likely to be the two witnesses testifying by video link from Britain and Yemen. (AFP)
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