The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
April 9, 2013

Trial for Osama bin Laden’s Son-in-Law Could Be Delayed by U.S. Budget Cuts 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
Lawyers for the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden have asked for his
landmark civilian trial to be delayed because of automatic government
budget cuts known as sequestration. During a hearing Monday, attorneys
for Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said a potential September trial could be
impacted by five-week mandatory furloughs of federal defenders. U.S.
District Judge Lewis Kaplan called the prospect of a delay due to the
cuts "stunning" and "extremely troublesome." Abu Ghaith has been accused
of conspiring to kill Americans, although he is not accused of taking
part in the 9/11 attacks or any other terror plots. A lawyer signaled
Monday the defense may ask for his trial to be held outside of New York,
citing concerns he may not get a fair trial in the city hardest-hit by
the 9/11 attacks.

 

.