THE US: The legal proceedings against Mr John Lindh, the American Taliban fighter, yesterday turned into a stand-off between his family and that of Mike Spann, the CIA officer killed in Afghanistan shortly after interviewing him.
As expected, Mr Lindh pleaded not guilty to the 10 charges against him. But, not for the first time, the workings of the US justice system proved less compelling than the sideshows.
The Spann family turned up in court in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, apparently as part of a prosecution stunt to draw the cameras away from Mr Lindh's lawyers in the square outside after the hearing. Inside, Mr Frank Lindh, John's father, was seen trying to shake hands sympathetically with Mr Johnny Spann, Mike's father. He was spurned.
Outside, the stunt worked. Viewers saw the Spann family try to pre-empt any surge of sympathy for the 20-year-old prisoner, a man the defence is trying to paint as a conscientious teenager who turned to Islam out of conviction and never hurt any Americans.
"Remember September 11th," warned Mr Johnny Spann. "We were attacked by a group of terrorist thugs . . . America will not tolerate traitors." Mike's widow, Shannon, said coldly that by pleading not guilty, Mr John Lindh had "chosen the prosperity and protection of the US instead of the cause he has dedicated his life to". She said he should be charged with treason and subject to the death penalty.
Prosecutors have shied away from a treason charge, which requires a precise degree of proof, and have instead accused Mr Lindh of various counts of conspiracy, including one of conspiring with and aiding the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Several of the charges carry mandatory life sentences without parole.
Mr Lindh fell into US hands on December 1st when he was found among prisoners held by the US-backed warlord, Gen Abdul Rashid Dostam, at the Qala-e-Janghi fort near Mazar-e-Sharif. He was questioned by Mr Spann and another CIA man shortly before a riot erupted in which Mr Spann was killed. There is no suggestion that Mr Lindh was involved in his death. Hundreds of Taliban may have died in the revolt.
The biggest surprise inside the court was the judge's refusal to endorse a joint submission by the prosecution and defence to set a trial date in November. The Alexandria district court was chosen to hear the case against both Mr Lindh and the alleged "20th hijacker", Mr Zacarias Moussaoui, partly because of its reputation for moving swiftly. Judge TS Ellis insisted that the trial should start by September.
The defence is anxious to avoid the case being heard then, when a jury might be unduly influenced by the inevitable publicity surrounding the anniversary of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon attacks. The prosecution apparently believes it will have difficulty getting its case together by then, and the defence lawyers say that they will have to gather evidence in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
He is now clean-shaven and his hair, once of biblical length, then shaven, is growing back to the point where he can appear as an all-American boy whenever he faces the jury. - (Guardian Service)
Reuters adds: US forces detained seven suspects outside the US military base at Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan after small arms fire was directed at the base, defence officials said.
They said the seven were detained for questioning after patrols were sent out to investigate. A small number of other people who might have been involved in the gunfire escaped, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified. No US troops were injured.
Reuters Television cameraman, Taras Protsyuk, said he heard heavy gunfire and a number of explosions at the Kandahar base. He said the shooting lasted around 30 minutes and was intense for a period of about five minutes.
Meanwhile, a US soldier was killed in an accident in Afghanistan yesterday when a piece of heavy industrial equipment he was operating fell on him at Bagram Air Base near Kabul, the US military said.
The soldier's name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.