Australia expects return of terror detainee
After 5 years at Guantanamo, Hicks pleads guilty to helping al-Qaida
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - An Australian detainee who pleaded guilty to helping al-Qaida fight the United States could be sentenced this week and will likely be returned to his native country to serve his sentence by the end of the year, the U.S. military said.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he expected Hicks would return soon, where an outcry over his continued detention has cost Prime Minister John Howard support ahead of elections due this year.
David Hicks, a 31-year-old former kangaroo skinner, entered the surprise plea Monday at the first session of new military tribunals that the Pentagon set up after the U.S. Supreme Court found its previous efforts to try Guantanamo prisoners unconstitutional.
Minor figure
Hicks, a Muslim convert, allegedly attended al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance on the British and American embassies as part of his training. But he remained on the margins once the U.S. invaded to oust the Taliban following the Sept. 11 attacks. He eventually joined al-Qaida fighters hours before the front lines collapsed and was captured as he tried to flee, according to the U.S. military.
The count he pleaded guilty to says he intentionally provided support to a terror organization involved in hostilities against the United States. He denied the charge that he supported for preparation, or in carrying out, an act of terrorism.
Minor figure
Hicks, a Muslim convert, allegedly attended al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance on the British and American embassies as part of his training. But he remained on the margins once the U.S. invaded to oust the Taliban following the Sept. 11 attacks. He eventually joined al-Qaida fighters hours before the front lines collapsed and was captured as he tried to flee, according to the U.S. military.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17811221/
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