The United States has brought conspiracy charges against a Yemeni man and a Sudanese man, both described as having close ties to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, making them the first Guantanamo Bay prisoners to face criminal charges, the Pentagon said today.
The Defense Department said Mr Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul of Yemen and Mr Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi of Sudan were charged with a single count each of conspiracy to commit war crimes and will be brought to trial before a military tribunal.
Pentagon spokesman Major John Smith said Pentagon prosecutors do not plan to seek the death penalty against either man if convicted.
Both are among the roughly 650 foreign terrorism suspects imprisoned at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.