Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, the Al Qaeda spokesperson who went on to marry Osama bin Laden’s daughter, was unsurprisingly found guilty today in Manhattan federal court of conspiring to kill Americans and providing material support to terrorists. Although the defense said that he was all talk, the jury did not buy it, instead siding with prosecutors who argued that the 48-year-old cleric “literally sat at Osama bin Laden’s right hand,” including in a video made on Sept. 12, 2001.
Abu Ghaith himself testified, in a Hail Mary by the defense, that he met with bin Laden in a cave following the attacks, but “was hoping the United States would say, ‘Let’s sit down and talk and solve these problems.’” As the closest bin Laden adviser tried in civilian court since 9/11, he faces life in prison.
