A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) mug shot of Ahmed Ghailani is seen in an undated handout image. Ghailani, a "high-value detainee," was moved June 9, 2009 from Guantanamo Bay to federal court in New York to face charges related to al-Qaida's 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings. He is the first such prisoner taken to the United States. (UPI Photo/FBI)
NEW YORK, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The first detainee from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, went on trial in civilian court in New York, despite the loss of a key federal witness.
A prosecutor told a jury in the civilian trial of accused terrorist Ahmed Ghailani the defendant was a critical player in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 in which 224 people died, the New York Law Journal reported. A defense lawyer said Ghailani was duped by the bombers and was innocent.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin, in his opening statement, said Ghailani was "a vital member" of the East African al-Qaida cell that carried out the bomb attacks.
Defense lawyer Steve Zissou opened the defense presentation by saying Ghailani was not aware of the group's plans and said he was "immature at the time, trusting, naive, a creature of his surroundings."
Prosecutors said their witness, Hussein Abebe, would have testified he sold Ghailani explosives used in one of the bombings. The government later said it first learned of Abebe through the interrogation of Ghailani while he was in an overseas CIA facility where his lawyers said he was tortured.
The families of the victims in the embassy bombings expressed confidence in the prosecution's ability to prove its case, even after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan barred Abebe from testifying, the New York Daily News reported.
"We are pleased to see the trial move forward," said Edith Bartley, whose father and brother died in one of the bombings. "We are confident that the government is fully prepared for the trial."
Ghailani was indicted on 286 charges, including 224 counts of murder, one for each person killed in the attacks on the U.S. embassies, CNN reported. The indictment also alleged he conspired with Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida members to kill Americans anywhere in the world.
Kaplan's ruling last week came as jury selection was ending and opening statements were to begin. During the weekend, prosecutors decided not to appeal Kaplan's decision.
Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday.
