Friday, August 27, 2010

Obama Halts Trial of USS Cole Bomber

The Obama Administration has indefinitely postponed the trial of a major Al-Qaeda figure, one Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.  Al-Nashiri was involved in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 and who is accused of organizing the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.

The Washington Post has the story:
The decision at least temporarily scuttles what was supposed to be the signature trial of a major al-Qaeda figure under a reformed system of military commissions. And it comes practically on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attack, which killed 17 sailors and wounded dozens when a boat packed with explosives ripped a hole in the side of the warship in the port of Aden.

In a filing this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said that "no charges are either pending or contemplated with respect to al-Nashiri in the near future."
Read it all here.

And they wonder why so many people believe Obama is either a traitor, a Muslim or a fool.
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7 comments:

  1. Stogie8/27/2010 1:52 PM

    His trial should have been halted years ago with a shot to the head. Our country is going to the weenie dogs.

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  2. Stogie8/27/2010 3:10 PM

    So really this is another example of a "can't win" for Obama. For years people have been criticizing his position that we actually TRY the people we are detaining. Saying that he was weak on terrorism and that military tribunals fit the crime. Now that he is not going to try them but refer the case to a military tribunals it's proof that he's weak on terrorism? Make up your mind. 

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  3. Stogie8/27/2010 5:14 PM

    I was under the impression this is a good thing.  A military prosecution will be less of a circus, with a tougher sentence.  Either way, he will never see the light of day.

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  4. Stogie8/27/2010 7:10 PM

    The article refers to a military tribunal, Mnut.  It is the military tribunal that Obama has halted.

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  5. Stogie8/27/2010 7:11 PM

    pjm, see my note to Mnut.  It is the planned military prosecution that was halted.

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  6. Stogie8/27/2010 7:57 PM

    You are so right.... sorry for my misinformed statmenet.

    I guess the only positive thing is that he has been detained this whole time.

    Here is a link from Politico that sheds light on some of the "politics" behind this decision.


    http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0810/Cole_trial_delay_could_have_upside.html

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40178.html

    I was in Jordan when the Cole was attacked.... crossed back into Israel a couple days later (was initially in Israel for a wedding).... it was a little sketchy.

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  7. Stogie8/27/2010 8:25 PM

    Wow, sounds like a dangerous place to be!

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