Officials in Tanzania are investigating the alleged beating up of a traffic policeman by a group of eight soldiers. The soldiers were apparently angry that he had held up their convoy at a roadblock in Dar es Salaam. They attacked him with fists, boots and army belts, prompting a crowd to boo their actions, witnesses say. A BBC correspondent in the city says traffic police are not popular, as they often ask for bribes but people still felt it was wrong to beat the officer. He had to be taken to hospital. This is not the first time that Tanzania's military has clashed with the police. | |
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tanzania troops attack policeman
Somali 'pirate' pleads not guilty
A Somali man arrested after a US captain was kidnapped has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges in a New York court, including piracy. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse was also charged with holding a hostage for ransom and armed hijacking. He spoke through a translator during the brief appearance. His next hearing was set for 17 September. His lawyers said they had difficulty communicating with him, and that he was "confused" about the situation. Defence lawyer Phil Weinstein also said "they are giving him medications that he doesn't understand", AFP news agency reported. It was unclear what the medication was for. 'Pirate ringleader' Mr Muse's mother has said he is only 16 years old but prosecutors argue he is over 18 and a judge last month ruled he should be tried as an adult. He is believed to be the first person to face piracy charges in the US in over a century. He faces life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors have accused Mr Muse of being the ringleader of a pirate gang which boarded a container ship, the Maersk Alabama, on 8 April and took Capt Richard Phillips hostage in a lifeboat. After a five-day stand-off, US Navy marksmen killed three of the pirates and captured Mr Muse, who had gone aboard a US warship, allegedly to demand a ransom. Mr Muse's mother has previously told the BBC's Somali service her son is completely innocent. Heavily-armed pirates operating off the coast of Somalia carry out regular attacks on shipping in recent weeks in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, despite patrols by the US and other navies. Shipping companies last year handed over about $80m (£54m) in ransom payments to the gangs. | |
Tanzanian to face US trial
Guantanamo inmate gets US trial
 Ahmed Ghailani is considered a "high value detainee" by the CIA |
An al-Qaeda suspect is to become the first inmate at the Guantanamo Bay camp to stand trial in a US civilian court.
Ahmed Ghailani will face charges in a federal court in New York over the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa, the justice department announced.
The news comes as the US Senate voted against funding President Obama's plans to close down Guantanamo Bay detention centre and transfer its 240 detainees.
But Mr Obama later insisted a secure way to close the camp would be found.
In a speech in which he criticised the camp as a "misguided experiment", he said the cases of the remaining detainees were being considered one by one.
Where feasible some would be tried in US civilian courts, he said - though he conceded there remained some who could not be prosecuted but who posed a "danger to the American people".
Apology
"By prosecuting Ahmed Ghailani in federal court, we will ensure that he finally answers for his alleged role in the bombing of our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya," Attorney General Eric Holder said.
 |  The American people don't want these men walking the streets of America's neighbourhoods  John Thune Republican senator  |
Ghailani, a Tanzanian, was seized in Pakistan in 2004 and was one of 14 so-called "high-value detainees" transferred from secret CIA prisons abroad to Guantanamo in September 2006.
He was indicted in New York on charges related to the August 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 200 people.
According to the transcript of a closed-door hearing in March 2007, Mr Ghailani admitted delivering explosives used to blow up the US embassy in Dar Es Salaam.
However, he told the hearing he did not know about the attack beforehand and apologised to the US government and the victims' families.
The expected announcement comes as Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete is to hold talks with President Obama - the first African head of state to meet the new US leader in Washington.
Mother's joy
Mr Ghailani's mother, Bi-mkubwa Said, expressed joy at the news.
"To receive the news that my son will be transferred from Guantanamo to go to New York - I am thankful and so happy.
"Maybe I will have an opportunity to see him, to even talk to him over the phone, and also when I will see him on his trial, see him with my own eyes, my heart will be relieved and have hope."
She urged President Kikwete to ask President Obama to allow Mr Ghailani to stand trial at home.
"I know my son has nothing to do with the attacks. And I have huge hope that my government will defend this citizen so that he can be returned home," she said.
Congress ruling
The issue of transferring Guantanamo Bay inmates to the US has caused alarm among many members in Congress.
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME |
"The American people don't want these men walking the streets of America's neighbourhoods," Republican Senator John Thune said on Wednesday.
"The American people don't want these detainees held at a military base or federal prison in their backyard, either."
President Obama's request for $80m (£51m) to close the camp was overwhelmingly rejected by senators by 90-6 votes.
The House of Representatives made a similar decision.
Both Democrats and Republicans argue that there needs to be a better plan for closing Guantanamo.
The Republicans want to see the camp remain open, while the Democrats are asking the president for a plan of the closure process before agreeing to fund it.
Concerns will not be eased by a New York Times report on Thursday, which quoted an unreleased Pentagon report as saying that one in seven of the 534 prisoners already transferred abroad from Guantanamo Bay have returned to terrorism or militant activity.
The detention centre, on US territory in Cuba, was established after the 9/11 attacks by the then President, George W Bush.
In one of his first acts on taking office, President Obama pledged to close the camp by January 2010.
He also halted the Bush-era military commissions, saying the US was entering a new era of respecting human rights.
Last week, he announced he would revive the military tribunal system for some Guantanamo detainees but with greater legal rights for defendants.
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