I mentioned on Monday that accused G'itmo guest David Hicks was going on trial. Guess what? He pleaded guilty
Australian David Hicks, the first prisoner to face a new U.S. war crimes tribunal, unexpectedly pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of helping al Qaeda fight American troops during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Hicks entered his plea following the first day of hearings in the military tribunals created by Congress after the Supreme Court struck down an earlier version that President George W. Bush authorized to try foreign captives on terrorism charges.
Hicks, a 31-year-old former kangaroo skinner who has been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for more than five years, earlier said he would defer entering a plea.
Hicks had faced life imprisonment if convicted on the charges. Those included supporting terrorism by attending al Qaeda training camps, conducting surveillance on the American embassy in Kabul and fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where he was captured in December 2001. He was sent to Guantanamo a month later.
Well blow me down! You mean to tell me that one of these people that the Left has complained about being held at G'itmo is actually guilty? Goodness! And an actual terrorist. I can't wait till those on the Left here and in Australia start their demonstrations, ala Mumia, to free him.
But, of course, the "article", which was written by Al Reuters, has to highlight the silly notions about G'itmo, as well as saying "aw, the poor baby"
- "He's really changed a lot in three years," said the elder Hicks, who had last seen his son at the 2004 hearing. (yup, because he isn't providing support to Al Qaeda anymore)
- Hicks, the first of the 385 Guantanamo prisoners to be charged in what are formally called military commissions, wants only to return to Australia, settle down and see his two children, his father said. (What was he doing helping Al Qaeda and fighting in Afghanistan then?)
- Hicks has said he was sodomized, beaten, and subject to forced injections while in U.S. custody, allegations the military calls untrue and nonsense. (straight out of the Al Qaeda playbook, and, of course, those on the left believe Hicks more then the America troops at G'itmo)
- Hicks' lawyers and human rights monitors observing the hearings said the tribunals were rigged to ensure convictions and allow evidence obtained through coercion. The tribunals are already the subject of new court challenges. (straight from the liberal talking points)
Now we will have to wait and see what his sentence is, which he will serve in Australia. Probably won't be as cushy as his life at Club G'itmo.
The Jawa Report has more.
