Hamdan Juror Says Verdict Wasn't Intended as Message
A military officer who sat on the jury that gave the driver for Osama bin Laden a relatively light sentence says it was not intended as a message to the government.
The juror told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) that the jury gave Salim Ahmed Hamdan a five-and-a-half-year sentence because he appeared to be a young person who got mixed up in a criminal organization rather than a hard-core terrorist.
No evidence suggested that Hamdan planned or organized terrorist attacks, the juror said. He appeared to be like other young people who get mixed up in criminal organizations because of ignorance or lack of opportunities, he said. He also noted that Hamdan was “mild-mannered” during the trial.
With credit for time served, Hamdan would be eligible for release in January, the same month that President Bush leaves office. The government may continue to hold Hamdan as an “enemy combatant,” however, the Washington Post reports.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the juror seemed amused when asked if the timing of Hamdan’s potential release was intended to send a message. “People probably are trying to read too much into it,” he said.
A New York Times news analysis concluded that “so much was new at the trial that the proceeding at times seemed like some kind of space exploration.” The trial by a military commission included secret filings, closed sessions and “unexplained mysteries,” the story said.
