Court rules al-Qaeda defendants should defend terror charges

Addis Ababa, June 8, 2012  (WIC) – The Federal High Court on Thursday ruled that eleven alleged al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab terror suspects should defend prosecutions terror charges.

Prosecutors charged eleven defendants, six in absentia, on two counts of terror charges and money laundering. They accused the defendants of planning, preparing, conspiring, inciting and attempting to commit acts of terror in the country.

Trespassing is also included in the charge pressed against the defendants which included a Kenyan national, who partly admitted to the allegations during his first court appearance.       

Judge Endeshaw Adane said the court has examined the prosecutions’ evidence which included nine witness testimonies, e-mail exchanges, statement of defendants given to police and exhibits seized during searches.

Relating to the terror charges the evidences support the prosecutions’ case and all the defendants should defend the charge, the judge ruled.

The court, however, exonerated eight defendants of money laundering charges holding that the prosecutions’ evidence only implicates three of the defendants.

The case is now adjourned to June 25, 2012 where the defense is expected to defend the charge.