Ill Juror Delays Bomb Case
A juror suffering dental pain caused deliberations to be cut short Wednesday in the case against four followers of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, charged with plotting to bomb U.S. embassies in Africa.
The Manhattan federal jury received the case late May 10. The panel, which is not sequestered and has not met on weekends, is scheduled to resume deliberations today.
Although some lawyers in the case expected a verdict as early as last week, panelists have been steadily reviewing evidence as they struggle to complete the complex 302-count verdict form.
The four men are on trial for allegedly participating in a conspiracy led by Bin Laden to kill Americans, including the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people, 12 of the victims Americans.
Two of the defendants could face the death penalty if they are found guilty of helping to carry out the bombings.
They are Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-’Owhali, 24, a Saudi Arabian who allegedly was a passenger in the truck used in the Nairobi bombing, and Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, 27, a Tanzanian charged with taking part in the Dar es Salaam bombing.
If they are convicted, they will be tried separately in punishment proceedings to determine if they will face execution.
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