al Qaeda

al Qaeda, jihadist propaganda

American lawyer drops his drawers for al Qaeda; Updated — lawyer and firm part ways

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Bumped to the top and updated, 9:45 AM, July 26:: David Remes, Who Dropped His Pants in Yemen, to Leave Covington [scan down]

First, the original post (July 16, 2008)

Covington & Burling lawyer David Remes

The caption for that Reuters photograph reads:

Sanaa, Yemen: US lawyer David Remes, who represents 16 Yemeni prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, takes his trousers off during a press conference. He was demonstrating what the typical al Qaeda lawyer wears while on a date with his clients. Photograph: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

I made up everything after the word ‘demonstrating’ and before the word ‘photograph.’

It is accurate to say that David Remes traveled to Yemen, stepped in front of an Al Jazzera microphone, and dropped his pants to demonstrate “the mistreatment suffered by his clients.”

He acted like a fool yet al Qaeda’s American lawyers have no shame; they routinely spread jihadist propaganda and lie to their own country. Go ahead; click here to see the unedited version, unedited except for an application of the most appropriate color. Now he is all set for the next ‘hate our troops’ rally.

Hat tip to the Jawa Report.

Updated, 9:45 AM, July 26:

According to the Law Blog at the Wall Street Journal: David Remes, Who Dropped His Pants in Yemen, to Leave Covington:

David Remes, who made Law Blog headlines last week for removing his pants at a news conference in Yemen, is leaving the firm, according to the Legal Times, which reported the news over the weekend. Remes will reportedly devote himself exclusively to human rights litigation.
…
Remes reportedly announced his resignation from Covington on Friday. “My departure is the inevitable outcome of my human rights work at the firm in the past four years, which became a consuming passion,” he said in a statement. Remes said in his statement that he had informed the firm in May of his intention to leave.

I believe the last sentence about as much as I believe the propaganda Mr. Remes espouses on behalf of his terrorist clients. Yet they say the good lies always contain an element of truth. Perhaps him publicly dropping his pants only sped up his departure.

al Qaeda, Guantanamo, Military Commissions, September 11

Military Commissions trial of Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard begins; Hamdan pleads ‘not guilty’

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1998 US embassies bombings

Last week’s rulings by Military Commissions Judge Keith J. Allred and U.S. District Judge James Robertson paved the way for the first trial of a direct associate of Osama bin Laden. Fox News reported this morning:

The first Guantanamo war crimes trial began Monday with a not guilty plea from a former driver and alleged bodyguard for Usama bin Laden. Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni, entered the plea through his lawyer at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba. He is the first prisoner to face a U.S. war crimes trial since World War II.

Judge Keith Allred, a Navy captain, called a jury pool of uniformed American military officers into the courtroom for questioning by lawyers on both sides. A conviction on charges of conspiracy and supporting terrorism could lead to a life sentence for Hamdan. “You must impartially hear the evidence,” Allred told the potential jurors. “He must be presumed to be innocent.” The 13 officers were hand-picked by the Pentagon and flown in from other U.S. bases over the weekend. Hamdan’s lawyers asked if they had any friends or family affected by the Sept. 11 attacks to see if any should be excluded as too biased to serve. A minimum of five officers must be selected for a trial under tribunal rules.

Hamdan, who is in his late 30s, wore a khaki prison jumpsuit to the courthouse overlooking an abandoned airport runway. The flowing white robe and headdress he wore at pretrial hearings was not cleaned in time for his trial, said Charles Swift, one of his civilian attorneys.

The trial is expected to take three to four weeks, with testimony from nearly two dozen Pentagon witnesses.

Hamdan is charged with conspiring with Osama bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda leaders to “engage in hostilities against the United States. including the 1998 attack against the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the 2000 attack against the USS Cole, the September 11, 2001 attack against the United States and other, separate attacks, continuing to date…”

USS Cole Memorial

On his Military Commissions charges and specification sheet (PDF), in the first specification of the first charge, they list these as his overt acts:

a. Hamdan served as the bodyguard for Usama bin Laden;

b. Hamdan served as Usama bin Laden’s personal driver;

c. Hamdan transported and delivered weapons, ammunition or other supplies to al Qaeda members and associates;

d. Hamdan drove or accompanied Usama bin Laden to various al Qaeda-sponsored training camps, press conferences, or lectures;

e. Hamdan, on various occasion, received weapons training in Afghanistan.

World Trade Center looking towards WTC building 7

He is also charged with providing material support for terrorism.

Hamdan faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.