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Al-Marri pleads not guilty to terrorism charges

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Suspected al Qaeda operative Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of providing material support to al Qaeda, and his trial date was set for May 26. At an arraignment hearing before the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Judge Michael Mihm also made several evidentiary rulings. Mihn acknowledged that the trial start date will likely be pushed back, but still expects the trial to begin this sometime this year. An April 14 date was set for a review of evidence submitted. Last week, a South Carolina judge ruled that al-Marri must remain in prison during his trial, holding that he had not proven he was not a danger to the community. Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court granted a motion by the US government to dismiss as moot an appeal challenging al-Marri's indefinite detention, following the Obama administration's decision to try al-Marri in US federal court. Al-Marri was indicted earlier this month on two charges of providing material support to al Qaeda and conspiring with others to provide material support to al Qaeda. In January, shortly after taking office, President Barack Obama ordered an immediate review of al-Marri's detention. Al-Marri was arrested at his home in Peoria, Illinois by civilian authorities in 2001, and was indicted for other crimes. In 2003, then-President George W. Bush declared him an enemy combatant and ordered the attorney general to transfer custody of al-Marri to the defense secretary, claiming inherent authority to hold him indefinitely. Until recently, al-Marri was detained on a US Navy brig in South Carolina.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 24, 2009 (boomark / email).