GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – A man accused of being the chief propagandist for Osama bin Laden admitted Thursday at a military trial that he was a member of the al-Qaida terrorist organization and began to address the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks before authorities cut him off.
Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul, 36, of Yemen, made the admission while arguing to represent himself during a preliminary hearing held by the military commission, which will decide whether the diminutive, educated suspect conspired to commit war crimes against the United States.
“I am from al-Qaida and the relationship between me and September 11 … ,” al Bahlul said before the presiding officer of the commission interrupted him.
Army Col. Peter Brownback told the other five commission members, who will serve as judges and jurors in the case, to disregard al Bahlul’s remarks because he was not under oath and what he said should not be considered evidence.
“In short, I would like to represent myself,” al Bahlul said. “No one should worry about me causing problems, or being loud, or saying anything that will be inflammatory. I can give you my word. … If the American system will not allow me to represent myself, I will be forced to attend and I will be a listener.”
It was not clear what al Bahlul intended to say about his relationship to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and he never picked up where he left off when the proceedings continued.
But his unexpected remarks prompted his defense attorneys to object to Brownback’s statement, saying that he was misreading the law. Eventually, Brownback recessed the hearing to meet with military-appointed defense lawyers and prosecutors.
In civilian courts, statements such as al Bahlul’s before jurors in a case can result in mistrials. Defense attorneys can argue that the jurors might be prejudiced against the suspect, regardless of what the judge tells them to do, and the defendant could not receive a fair trial under the circumstances. In this case, al Bahlul is charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes and part of that conspiracy was his alleged membership in al-Qaida.
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