*The defendant's attorney revealed the plea agreement amid ongoing uncertainty regarding military budget cuts and staffing, pending approval from the Secretary of Defense.*
**Saudi Prisoner Signs Plea Deal in U.S.S. Cole Bombing Case**
**Saudi Prisoner Signs Plea Deal in U.S.S. Cole Bombing Case**
*Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri seeks to avoid death penalty with guilty plea in ongoing military commission.*
In an unexpected turn of events, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the Saudi national accused of orchestrating the deadly bombing of the U.S.S. Cole warship in 2000, has agreed to a plea deal aimed at avoiding a death penalty trial. His lawyer, Allison F. Miller, made the announcement at the beginning of a prolonged two-week hearing pertaining to the war crimes case. Miller indicated that internal chaos regarding staffing and budgetary issues within the Pentagon is complicating the proceedings.
The Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, will ultimately review the plea offer, but as of now, it has not been formally submitted to him through the necessary military channels. As al-Nashiri, now 60, sat quietly with his legal representatives, they discussed the intricacies of the pretrial agreement. He has been in U.S. detention since 2002 and is entangled in what has become the longest-running death penalty case at Guantánamo Bay.
The bombing, executed by two suicide bombers using a skiff laden with explosives, resulted in the tragic deaths of 17 U.S. sailors and left many others injured during a refueling stop in Yemen on October 12, 2000. If the plea deal is accepted, it would bring a pivotal move in a case that has sparked debate and scrutiny over military justice and the treatment of detainees over the years.
The Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, will ultimately review the plea offer, but as of now, it has not been formally submitted to him through the necessary military channels. As al-Nashiri, now 60, sat quietly with his legal representatives, they discussed the intricacies of the pretrial agreement. He has been in U.S. detention since 2002 and is entangled in what has become the longest-running death penalty case at Guantánamo Bay.
The bombing, executed by two suicide bombers using a skiff laden with explosives, resulted in the tragic deaths of 17 U.S. sailors and left many others injured during a refueling stop in Yemen on October 12, 2000. If the plea deal is accepted, it would bring a pivotal move in a case that has sparked debate and scrutiny over military justice and the treatment of detainees over the years.
