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Judge drops charges in final Guantanamo trial
Sam Lyon6 Feb 2009
The judge in charge of the Guantanamo Bay hearings today dropped the charges in the last trial at the detention camp — against a suspect in the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000.
Judge Susan Crawford made the decision days after Judge James Pohl had refused a request from Barack Obama to suspend all hearings.
Judge Pohl wanted to continue the trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri over the attack on the ship off Yemen, which left 17 US service personnel dead and 50 injured. Pentagon officials said Judge Crawford had dismissed the charges against Nashiri without prejudice, meaning new charges could be brought against him. Mr Obama, who intends to close the detention centre within a year, was expected to meet relatives of those killed in the USS Cole attack today.
