Osama bin Laden's son-in-law was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for conspiring to kill Americans and providing material support to terrorists.
The conviction in March of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, one of the most prominent al Qaeda operatives to face trial in the U.S., bolstered the argument that civilian courts—rather than military commissions—are suitably equipped to handle terrorism cases.
Mr. Abu Ghaith, wearing a blue-prison jumpsuit and a Muslim headdress known as a kufi, stood stone-faced as U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan delivered the sentence. Judge Kaplan said Mr. Abu Ghaith was fully committed to al Qaeda's murderous agenda and had shown no remorse, even threatening the U.S. once again during Tuesday's sentencing in Manhattan federal court.
Earlier in the hearing, Mr. Abu Ghaith delivered an impassioned statement to the court, frequently gesturing and quoting from the Quran.
"At the same moment where you are shackling my hands and intend to bury me alive, you are at the same time unleashing the hands of hundreds of Muslim youth, and you are removing the dust of their minds, and they will join the rally of the free men," Mr. Abu Ghaith told the court. "Soon, and very soon…the whole world will see the end of these theater plays that are also known as trials."
A 12-member anonymous jury delivered a quick conviction this spring, reaching its decision after deliberating six hours over two days, following a three-week trial.
Mr. Abu Ghaith, 48 years old, was a little-known Kuwaiti preacher when he joined al Qaeda in June 2001 during a visit to Afghanistan.
A day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Mr. Abu Ghaith appeared in a video sitting alongside bin Laden, and bin Laden's two top deputies in al Qaeda. That video, first broadcast on Al Jazeera, quickly ricocheted around the world. He made several more videos and audio recordings in the months and weeks that followed.
Jordanian authorities took Mr. Abu Ghaith into custody in February 2013 and handed him over to U.S. law enforcement.
Prosecutors said Mr. Abu Ghaith "was literally the face of al Qaeda" in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
Mr. Abu Ghaith testified on his own behalf during the trial, telling jurors that the statements he made were partially from his own conviction but that some of his most dramatic threats—such as, that "a storm of airplanes" would continue to batter U.S. targets—were dictated to him by bin Laden.
His lead attorney, Stanley Cohen, said Mr. Abu Ghaith should receive a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison because while he had given "hateful" speeches, he had never participated in or planned an actual terrorist attack. Mr. Cohen also cited the nearly 12 years Mr. Abu Ghaith spent in Iranian custody as a mitigating factor.
Judge Kaplan conceded that Mr. Abu Ghaith hadn't personally participated in any acts of violence and had some redeeming qualities, but said he had joined al Qaeda's ranks with open eyes. He cited a video shown at trial of Mr. Abu Ghaith sitting with bin Laden after 9/11, in which he expressed his "amusement" as bin Laden described the attacks.
Mr. Cohen has said his client would appeal, saying that it was "impossible under the circumstances to get a fair trial."
Mr. Abu Ghaith's arrival in the Manhattan federal courthouse last year drew rebukes from Republicans who said that top terror suspects should be sent to the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Prosecutors in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office have successfully prosecuted terrorism cases for years. Earlier this year, they won the conviction of Abu Hamza al-Masri, an Egyptian-born British cleric. He was found guilty of 11 terrorism charges in May.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder said justice had been served. "From beginning to end, this trial, conviction and sentencing have underscored the power of [the civilian] court system to deliver swift and certain justice in cases involving terrorism defendants," Mr. Holder said. "We will continue to rely on this robust and proven system to hold accountable anyone who would harm our nation and its people."
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