Bin Laden Video Maker Gets Life In Prison

Guantanamo Jury Sentences Al Qaeda Propagandist Who Vowed To Continue Fighting America

(CBS/ AP)  A video maker for Osama bin Laden who vowed that al Qaeda will never stop fighting America was sentenced to life in prison Monday for encouraging terrorist attacks.

A jury of nine military officers deliberated for just under an hour before condemning Ali Hamza al-Bahlul at Guantanamo's second war-crimes trial. Al-Bahlul was convicted of 35 counts of conspiracy, solicitation to commit murder and providing material support for terrorism.

"The result was a foregone conclusion," notes CBS News chief legal analyst Andrew Cohen, who adds that the al-Bahlul case is unlikely to set any meaningful precedents for future military tribunals.

"The government can certainly call it a win," though, Cohen says.

The military has not said where he will serve his sentence.

The 39-year-old Yemeni defiantly admitted joining al Qaeda, accused the U.S. of oppressing Muslims for 50 years and said "we will fight any government that governs America."

"We are the only ones on Earth who stand against you," al-Bahlul said, adding that the U.S. has only itself to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Whoever said this happened out of nowhere is an idiot," he said. "You have started the war against us."

The lead prosecutor, Army Maj. Daniel Cowhig, said al-Balhul has shown no remorse or regret.

"When will it be safe for this man to leave confinement? Never," Cowhig said.

Al-Bahlul was not accused of participating in the Sept. 11 attacks, but prosecutors and witnesses said he was so close to bin Laden that he hooked up a satellite receiver so the pair could hear live radio coverage of the attacks as they huddled in Afghanistan's Khost province.

Prosecutors said he also acknowledged to interrogators that he was al Qaeda's media chief, made propaganda videos that inspired terrorists to attack the U.S., and arranged for lead Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta to swear a loyalty oath to the al Qaeda chief.

Al-Balhul called the military tribunal a "legal farce" and refused to mount a defense. His Pentagon-appointed lawyer stayed silent during the trial, refusing to even answer questions from the judge.

Witnesses at his sentencing hearing included the father of a sailor killed in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole - which was featured in a video the military says al-Bahlul produced to train and inspire al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan.

Gary Swenchonis Sr., whose son Gary was killed in the attack, said he was devastated that al-Bahlul's video has been widely available on the Internet.

"It's pervasive," said Swenchonis, of Rockport, Texas, his voice thick with emotion. "That's what's so bad. That's what's so wrong."

Al-Bahlul, who was brought to Guantanamo in 2002, is the second prisoner to go through a war crimes trial under the special military commissions system. Former bin Laden driver Salim Hamdan was convicted in August and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison.

The jury dismissed one count of conspiracy and one count of providing material support for terrorism.

[impeach__w]

What a Joke.

[chris32324]

with any luck obama will right alotta the wrongs of the failed bush administration from the past serveral years and let those people go,perhaps this centuries worst mass murderer,bush,may even get a trial for himself.

[scoutsout80]

I suppose he wan an innocent goatherder......

[scoutsout80]

PS CBS, he is no longer "allleged"

[inventagod2]

What THIS guy had to do with 9/11, I will never know.

When will the Pentagoons go after the real baddies?
Oh wait - They are the real 9/11 planners...

[impeach__w]

In a pretrial hearing, al-Bahlul called the military tribunal a "legal farce" and refused to mount a defense. His Pentagon-appointed lawyer stayed silent during the trial, refusing to even answer questions from the judge.

Wait until you hear the details of the third planned trial. The judge has already thown out the confession of a 15 or 16 year old because he the confession was extracted through torture...

[scoutsout80]

yeah, the military did 9/11.....have another hit

[scoutsout80]

In a pretrial hearing, al-Bahlul called the military tribunal a "legal farce" and refused to mount a defense

Too bad, must like the food

[cockamammy]

This so-called trial makes a complete mockery of due process. It''s been over 7 years since the crime of 9/11 was committed and there are only 2 lame verdicts doled out? All the while the main culprits still roam free. This is a another example of how inept the bush administration is in handling this issue. I won''t be surprised if these sentences get thrown out someday due to judicial incompetence.

[scoutsout80]

Since when do folks picked up on a battlefield outside of the US get our rights to due process?

[impeach__w]

Only one more is scheduled before Bush''''s term ends on Jan. 20: a relatively minor case that charges an Afghan with wounding two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter when he was 16 or 17 in 2002. A judge threw out his confession this week because it was obtained through torture.

America does not torture...officially.

I wonder who did, who ordered it, arranged it, approved it, knew about it, watched it.

We have a right to know!

[impeach__w]

Posted by scoutsout80
Since when do folks picked up on a battlefield outside of the US get our rights to due process?

Since the surpeme court and other courts ruled on it.

[impeach__w]

A blunder you can see a mile away is just bad leadership....
President Bush ignored warnings that his detainee policy would spark a Supreme Court backlash, the Washington Post reports. Top lawyers both in and outside Washington said that jailing suspects without Congressional approval would push the court to rule on national security%u2014but the White House either ignored the advice or disagreed

[scoutsout80]

You need to reread the decisions

[scoutsout80]

Seems to me that you thinks the folks in Gitmo are all innocent.....have you seen the recidivism rates of those released?

[crockett_tx]

Wake Up People!
War criminals are WAR CRIMINALS. In our country, AMERICA, there is due process, including interrogation. Now when you deal with people such as Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, who believes life of American''s mean NOTHING then you have to handle them differently. They mock our system becasue theirs is actual, reality TROTURE (nothing like anyhthing done to them at Guantanamo). The process has taken so long because of all the Liberals who bleed for the enemies that attacked out country known as 911. Liberals are people who live in a bubble and are loyal to only themselves and their agendas. Barak Obama being one of them. Life imprisonment is to good for this scum. He took lives, his life should be required! I for one do not want to feed him, cloth him, pay his medical bills for as long as his lives.

[notfooled]

At least the Kangaroos are cheering.

[notfooled]

This so-called trial makes a complete mockery of due process. It''''s been over 7 years since the crime of 9/11 was committed and there are only 2 lame verdicts doled out? All the while the main culprits still roam free. This is a another example of how inept the bush administration is in handling this issue. I won''''t be surprised if these sentences get thrown out someday due to judicial incompetence.

Posted by cockamammy at 12:42 PM : Nov 03, 2008

You''re right about one thing, the main culprits for the terror crime of 911 have yet to be brought to justice. They''re still sitting in the white house.

[questionnews]

After that long in Guantanamo and not getting laid (or out raping), the thought of those 72 virgins would be like waving a bucket of KFC in front of Michael Moore.
They''ll say anything to get some!

[lochlan-2009]

Who are we getting next, Osama''s shoe shiner? Maybe his paper delivery boy? What did this puppet show cost the American tax payer?

[dewbug2]

NOTFOOLED, you are a genius !

[babooph]

All those US news propagandists for Bush have not been charged at all-they are a big cause of the war in Iraq & devastating to the US much more that the two buildings !!

[caliengineer]

Bama occurs in the Bible- it means "high idolatry". It was the name given to a place where people worshiped idols. It''s in Ezekiel. After this, the word "abomination" occurs, followed by God''s promise to test the believers and weed out the fakes.

Tough times for Christians ahead, if Obama wins.

[longtree-2009]

the guy should have been executed. 25 years not enough of a sentence because when released he will be more of a terrorist. as for those on message boards who cite the christian bible should cite chapter and verse, sources of translation of words used in text for others to research the validity.