Gitmo Detainee Pleads Guilty

Australian who trained with al Quaeda has spent five years in custody
By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 27, 2007 6:33 AM CDT
Gitmo Detainee Pleads Guilty
David Hicks   (Getty Images)

David Hicks became the first person convicted under President Bush's much-maligned military tribunal system after entering a surprise guilty plea  to charges of providing material support to terrorists. The contentious proceedings may prove a new source of controversy, however, as the judge excluded Hicks' stwo civilian lawyers from court and shot down questions about his impartiality.

Major Michael D. Mori, Hicks's sole remaining lawyer, said the judge was biased toward the prosecution and accused him of "fixing the rules to fix their mistakes." Hicks, an Australian former kangaroo skinner, trained with al Qaeda and has spent five years in Guatanamo Bay as international pressure to resolve his case and return him to his homeland mounted. (More War on Terror stories.)

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