Military jury resumes deliberations in Hamdan trial

Aug 5, 2008, 16:55 GMT

Washington - A military jury resumed deliberations on Tuesday in the case of Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, who faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of conspiracy and supporting terrorism.

The six-person jury consisting of US military officers met Tuesday morning, had broken for lunch and were set to resume later in the afternoon, Lieutenant Catherine Pully, a spokeswoman for the commissions, said on the telephone from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Hamdan's case is the first to go to trial in the military commissions ordered by President George W Bush, and also the beginning of the first US military tribunals since World War II.

The prosecution and defence wrapped up the closing arguments and the jury began meeting privately on Monday.

Hamdan, 37, was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 and has been held at Guantanamo since May 2002. He is among 20 of the 265 detainees facing war crimes charges.

The US government argues that Hamdan, a Yemeni, was a member of Osama bin Laden's inner circle and was aware of terrorist plots. The defence argued he merely served as a driver and was not involved in terrorism.

In written answers to questions posed by Hamdan's defence attorneys, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, said Hamdan was a low level driver and mechanic who was not educated and in no position to support terrorism or have knowledge of potential plots.

Mohammed, who is also held at Guantanamo, refused to testify in court. He and four co-defendants are set to be tried in connection to the September 11 attacks later this year and face the death penalty if convicted.