NEW YORK – A federal judge has set a January trial date for a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden who was brought to the United States to face terrorism charges.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan announced the Jan. 7 date for Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (SOO'-lay-mahn AH'-boo GAYTH) in a one-sentence order filed in the case on Tuesday.
Kaplan said at a hearing Monday that it was "extremely troublesome" that a trial could not be held this fall because across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, meant public defenders would not have enough time to prepare.
Ghaith was brought to the United States last month to face charges that he conspired to kill Americans in his role as al-Qaida's spokesman after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He has pleaded not guilty.
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