British Guantanamo Detainee to Face Military Court

A British television news program has reported that Binyam Mohamed, the only remaining British resident being held at Guantanamo Bay, has been charged with terrorism-related offenses and will be tried before a military court. Reports indicate that Mohamed has been accused of aiding Jose Padilla in a plot to detonate a “dirty bomb” on United States soil. Similar charges against Padilla were eventually dropped, as federal prosecutors were unable to prove the allegations.^[1]

Mohamed claims to have been tortured by interrogators in Morocco after being transported to that country by US authorities as a part of “extraordinary rendition,” and those allegations have been the subject of an on-going FBI investigation into criminal acts by his interrogators. Members of Congress have been pressing for Department of Justice officials to appear before the foreign affairs committee to answer questions regarding interrogation methods used on Mohamed and other detainees. British officials have also pressed for further investigations into the allegations of mistreatment, indicating there have been “serious allegations” that Mohamed had been tortured.^[2]

Supporters of Mohamed have called on the British government to intervene on his behalf, calling for him to be returned to British soil to face charges. Mohamed claims he is innocent of all charges, asserting that he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001 for personal reasons, not to receive training or aid in a terrorist plot. If convicted, Mohamed could face the death penalty.^[3]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also filed a suit on behalf of Mohamed and other detainees, alleging that a Boeing subsidiary provided flights for the CIA to conduct extraordinary rendition. Further information on this subject can be found here.

For further discussion of terrorism cases, see the Terrorism Crimes website and the Terrorism Crimes Blog.


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[1] Guantanamo man on terror charge, BBC News Online, May 30, 2008 (available at www.bbc.co.uk/news).

[2] Id.

[3] Id.