Two Gitmo Detainees Charged With Conspiracy
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
WASHINGTON — Two men alleged to have been bodyguards and aides for Usama bin Laden (search) have been charged with war crimes and will stand trial before the first U.S. military tribunals convened since World War II, officials announced Tuesday.
Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, of Sudan, was a paymaster for Al Qaeda (search), and Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, of Yemen, was a propagandist for bin Laden, the government charged in military indictments unsealed at the Pentagon.
The two men are among more than 600 foreign prisoners held at the U.S. Navy's Guantanamo Bay (search) prison camp in Cuba. According to the indictments, both spent time in terrorist training camps and served as bodyguards for bin Laden.
The military tribunals are expected to take place at Guantanamo Bay, though the indictments do not indicate when. The brief documents also provide no documentation for government claims the men were terrorist conspirators.
Al Qosi joined Al Qaeda in 1989 and remained a member until his capture in December 2001, the indictment said. He traveled with bin Laden, serving as a driver and quartermaster, and also worked as an accountant and treasurer for a business intended to provide income and cover for Al Qaeda terror operations, the indictment said.
Among other activities, al Qosi signed checks on behalf of bin Laden, exchanged money on the black market and couriered money on behalf of Al Qaeda, the indictment said.
Bin Laden personally assigned al Bahlul to work in the Al Qaeda "media office," where he created videotapes used to motivate Al Qaeda members and recruit new terror soldiers, the indictment alleged.
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