Terrorism

Libyan militant is convicted of terrorism in Benghazi attacks but is acquitted of murder

A Libyan militia leader was convicted Tuesday in Washington, D.C., on terrorism charges in the 2012 Benghazi attacks, but he was acquitted of murder. Jurors convicted Ahmed Abu Khattala on four charges in the attacks and acquitted him on 14 other charges, report the Washington Post and the New York…

Nov 28, 2017 4:17 PM CST

Pentagon defers contempt sentence of chief defense counsel in Guantanamo defense ‘revolt’

A Pentagon official has deferred the contempt-of-court sentence of Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, the lead defense counsel in the case of a Guantanamo Bay detainee that caused a revolt by defense lawyers. According to McClatchy, Baker had been sentenced to 21 days of confinement to quarters—in Guantanamo, a trailer—after…

Nov 3, 2017 6:23 PM CDT

ABA president: Justice system protections are a critical part of response to terrorist tragedy

ABA President Hilarie Bass is calling for adherence to the rule of law following the terrorist attack that killed eight people and wounded 12 on Tuesday in New York City.

Nov 2, 2017 10:40 AM CDT

Trump backs away from idea of Gitmo trial for terror suspect, calls for end to diversity lottery

President Donald Trump called for harsh punishment, quick justice and an end to the diversity visa lottery program on Wednesday as he criticized the Manhattan terrorism suspect accused of killing eight people by driving a truck on a bicycle path one day earlier.

Nov 2, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Chief defense lawyer for Gitmo military commissions is sentenced for contempt

A Guantanamo judge has imposed a contempt sentence of 21 days’ confinement on the Marine general who is chief defense counsel for the military commissions there. The judge, Air Force Col. Vance Spath, found Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker in contempt for disobeying his orders in the case of a…

Nov 2, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Gitmo lawyers’ resignation over classified issue is part of defense ‘revolt’ in USS Cole case

Three civilian lawyers have quit their defense of the man accused of orchestrating the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole, part of a “defense revolt” in the case, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The reason for the resignation is highly classified, but it involves compromised attorney-client privilege…

Oct 31, 2017 3:56 PM CDT

Judge is informed she is on a terrorist list; was it a random selection?

A Chicago judge says a security supervisor at the Indianapolis airport informed her during a mid-October trip that she was on a known terrorist list. Judge Yolande Bourgeois tells NBC Chicago the designation resulted in a full patdown, a search of her suitcase, and a demand that she turn on…

Oct 27, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

How the author of ‘The Forgotten Flight’ fought for justice for terror victims’ families (podcast)

If you mention a terrorist attack in which a Libyan suitcase bomb brought down an airliner, most people will be quick to remember Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed on Dec. 21, 1988 in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. But there is another, similar attack that happened nine months later, on Sept. 19, 1989.

Sep 6, 2017 8:43 AM CDT

Federal judge orders State Department to search its archives for Clinton emails referencing Benghazi

A federal judge has ruled the State Department must look in its own archives for emails then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may have sent concerning the 2012 attack at the U.S. Embassy compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans including a U.S. ambassador. Politico and Courthouse News Service have…

Aug 10, 2017 4:00 PM CDT

SCOTUS bans damages claim against Mueller, other former officials for Sept. 11 detentions

An implied right of action to sue federal officials for constitutional violations does not extend to a suit filed by immigrants who say they were rounded up and illegally detained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. A decision on whether to authorize a damages…

Jun 19, 2017 3:15 PM CDT

ABA urges Supreme Court to hear case of Gitmo detainee held more than 15 years

The ABA filed an amicus brief on Wednesday that urges the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal by a Guantanamo Bay detainee who has been held without trial for 15 years. The ABA brief (PDF) says the court should review the claim by Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri that he…

Jun 1, 2017 9:21 AM CDT

Trump orders Justice Department probe of US leaks in Manchester bombing probe

President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. Justice Department to investigate leaks about Britain’s terrorism probe of the Manchester concert bombing that killed 22 people and injured many more. Responding to British officials’ concern, Trump said the leaks “pose a grave threat to our national security” and ordered a…

May 25, 2017 11:10 AM CDT

ABA Center for Human Rights forwards law prof’s assessment of illegality of arms deal to Senate

Further arms sales to Saudi Arabia would violate federal law, unless the country takes steps to comply with international humanitarian law, according to a law professor whose opinion was provided to the U.S. Senate by the ABA Center for Human Rights. The center supplied the opinion by Vanderbilt University law…

May 22, 2017 3:42 PM CDT

Judge tosses suits claiming Facebook is liable for aiding terrorism

A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, has dismissed two lawsuits that claimed Facebook should be liable for allowing terrorists to use its platform to advance violence. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled on Thursday, report Reuters, Bloomberg and the Verge, which linked to the opinion (PDF). One of the…

May 18, 2017 3:08 PM CDT

Did Trump’s disclosures to Russia break the law?

President Donald Trump asserted on Twitter early Tuesday that he had the “absolute right” to share terrorism information in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last week.

May 16, 2017 8:53 AM CDT