Four men charged in deadly bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania will stand trial tomorrow in US District Court in New York, while the alleged mastermind of the attack remains free.
The men - a naturalized American of Lebanese origin, a Jordanian, a Saudi and a Tanzanian - are among 22 charged in the near-simultaneous bombings August 7, 1998. The bombings killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
Missing from the courtroom will be Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the bombings, accused by the United States of being the leader of a worldwide terrorist organization. US officials have offered a five-million-dollar reward for the capture of Bin Laden, who lives in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban militia that controls most of that country.
Of the other bombing masterminds, one has pleaded guilty, three are jailed in Britain awaiting extradition to the United States, and the rest are at large.
Jury selection for the four will begin tomorrow morning under tight security and is likely to take several days.
The four are charged with murder of US nationals in the embassy bombings. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, 27, a Tanzanian, is accused of participation in the bombing of the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Mohamed Rashid Daoud al Owhali, 23, a Saudi, is accused of throwing a grenade at embassy guards in the bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi. He too faces the death penalty if convicted.
Wadih el Hage, 40, a Lebanon-born US citizen, is accused of once serving as bin Laden's personal secretary. He faces life in prison if convicted.
Also charged is Mohamed Sadeek Odeh, 35, of Jordan, accused of helping plan the bombing in Kenya. He too faces life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors will rely in part on the testimony of Ali Mohamed, a 48-year-old former US Army sergeant who pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy and murder in the bombings and agreed to testify against the others.
Bin Laden's organisation, known as Al-Qaeda or "The Base," is an extensive Islamist network which is blamed in the United States for fostering terrorist activities around the world.
Bin Laden is also suspected of planning the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in October, and Washington says it reserves the right to strike Afghanistan again if his involvement is proved.
AFP