ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The trial of a man charged with joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate President Bush will go forward next month, despite the objections of prosecutors who sought a delay.Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 24, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new nine-count indictment including charges of conspiracy to assassinate the president, conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy and contributing services to al-Qaida. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. The new charges supersede a six-count indictment handed up in February that made the same general allegations against Abu Ali, but the initial charges carried maximum prison terms of 15 years.
Prosecutors allege that Abu Ali confessed to joining al-Qaida in 2002 or 2003 while in college in Saudi Arabia, and that he discussed numerous terrorist plots, including a plan to assassinate Bush through a suicide bombing or sniper attack. He also discussed plans to hijack planes on foreign soil and fly them into U.S. targets, according to the indictment.
Abu Ali says he was tortured into a false confession by Saudi authorities, and that U.S. authorities were complicit in his torture by
| He lived in Soodiland and didn't know how things worked? |
| Unlike most al-Q victims who are just dead. |
One of the three lawyers representing Abu Ali Wednesday was Nina Ginsberg, appointed this week because Abu Ali's other lawyers do not have security clearances to see classified evidence in the case. Prosecutors have said they possess some potentially exculpatory classified evidence that they had been unable to give to the defense because nobody was authorized to see it.