A relative of a Sept. 11 hijacker said Wednesday he would boycott his upcoming military trial on terrorism charges, calling the US effort to prosecute Guantanamo prisoners a “crime against humanity.” Ahmed Al-Darbi told a military judge he does not want a civilian or military lawyer and doesn't even plan to attend his trial – creating another delay in a process that has been repeatedly stalled by legal and logistical challenges. “I declare my objection to this court and I will not be present at this trial,” Al-Darbi said through a court translator. The judge, Army Col. James Pohl, questioned the prisoner repeatedly about his intentions, seeking to make sure he was aware of his right to an attorney. The prisoner, noting he had been held for six years and could spend the rest of his life in prison, was unmoved. “In reality, I consider my presence and the presence of everyone here to be a crime against humanity,” he told the judge. Before ruling whether the trial could proceed without Al-Darbi's participation, Pohl called a halt to the hearing because of technical troubles with the court's simultaneous translation system. Al-Darbi, a brother-in-law of one of the hijackers, has been charged with conspiring to attack civilians and providing material support to terrorism for allegedly plotting to attack a ship in the Strait of Hormuz or off the coast of Yemen as a member of Al-Qaeda. His trial is also expected to include allegations that he was abused while in US custody. Al-Darbi has said he was interrogated in Afghanistan by Army Pfc. Damien M. Corsetti, a counterintelligence specialist. Al-Darbi's attorney, Army Lt. Col. Bryan Broyles, said that Corsetti struck his client and that he and other soldiers left the Saudi hanging from his handcuffs during extended interrogations. __
