NEW YORK — Osama Bin Laden's son-in-law pleaded not guilty Friday to plotting against Americans in his role as Al-Qaeda's top spokesman as a landmark case trying a terror suspect on US soil moves toward trial next month. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith entered the plea through a lawyer to one count of conspiracy to kill Americans after being arrested in Jordan on Feb. 28. Abu Ghaith gave an “extensive post-arrest statement” that totaled 22 pages and arrived in the US on March 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Cronan said. The prosecutor gave no details on the statement. Abu Ghaith nodded yes when asked, through an interpreter, if he understood his rights. He shook his head no when asked whether he had money to hire an attorney. Bail was not requested, and none was set. The judge said he would set a trial date April 8. The case marks a legal victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge senior Al-Qaeda suspects in US federal courts instead of holding them at the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Charging foreign terror suspects in federal courts was a top pledge by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009 — aimed, in part, to close Guantanamo Bay. Republicans, however, have fought the White House to keep Guantanamo open, and bringing Abu Ghaith to New York led to an outcry. Republicans in Congress do not want high-threat terror suspects brought into the United States, fearing that outcomes in a civilian jury trial are too unpredictable, compared to a military trial. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the capture of Abu Ghaith Thursday, saying “no amount of distance or time will weaken our resolve to bring America's enemies to justice.” The Justice Department said Abu Ghaith was the spokesman for Al-Qaeda, working alongside Bin Laden and current leader Ayman Al-Zawahri, since May 2001. Abu Ghaith is a former mosque preacher and teacher. — AP
