USS Cole bombing suspect faces Guantanamo tribunal

The main suspect in the bombing of the American warship, the USS Cole, is appearing before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay.Saudi-born Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri is alleged to have organised the attack in 2000, which killed 17 US sailors.If found guilty he could face the death penalty.Mr al-Nashiri has been in US custody since 2002 and is known to have been subjected to water boarding and mock executions.After nine years in detention, the tribunal hearing is the first time he has appeared in public to hear the charges against him.The USS Cole was attacked by al-Qaeda in the Yemeni port of Aden on 12 October 2000.The vessel, a destroyer, was rammed by a small craft laden with explosives, which blew a huge hole in the side.In addition to the 17 sailors killed, 40 were wounded.The hearing at Guantanamo Bay marks the resumption of military trials there, which President Barack Obama has tried to stop.There had been a freeze on new cases from January 2009, but Mr Obama announced in March this year that the tribunals would resume.He had tried but failed to get agreement on alternative ways to deal with the most high-profile US terror suspects held at Guantanamo.Mr al-Nashiri's case was about to be heard when the freeze was announced.For the first time, the proceedings are being broadcast to the families of those killed in the USS Cole attack and to journalists.Prosecutors say the military commissions at Guantanamo represent a fair balance between protecting America and opening proceedings to the public.However, Mr al-Nashiri's defence team say the system is completely flawed, following revelations in a US congressional report that he was subjected to water boarding and mock executions."By torturing Mr Nashiri, the United States has lost all moral authority to try Mr Nashiri," said his civilian lawyer, Richard Kammen."What happened and how he was treated is important to a death penalty case, should we get to a death penalty case."