Libya terror suspect Abu Anas al- Liby in New York court



A court sketch shows Abu Anas al-Liby with lawyer
Bernard Kleinman
A suspected Libyan militant leader seized earlier
this month in a US raid in Tripoli has appeared for
a second time in a federal court in New York.
Abu Anas al-Liby was represented by a lawyer paid for
by the Libyan government, a source involved in the
case told the BBC.
Mr Liby is accused of having links with al-Qaeda and of
involvement with the bombings of two US embassies in
1998.
He has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.
Mr Liby, 49, whose real name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-
Ruqai, appeared in court to discuss his legal counsel.
At his previous hearing, Mr Liby was represented by
court-appointed public defenders, having said he could
not afford an attorney of his own.
A source involved in the case told the BBC's Nada
Tawfik at the court that the Libyan government had
decided to hire a lawyer to represent him.
His lawyer, Bernard Kleinman, declined to say who had
retained him.
Mr Kleinman told the court that it would take several
months to sort through hundreds of thousands of
documents before the case could proceed.
He also requested the return of Mr Liby's personal copy
of the Koran which he said had been confiscated
during his capture.
Mr Kleinman said he had met Mr Liby for the first time
earlier on Tuesday.
He told the judge that he represents at least one
prisoner held at the US detention centre in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mr Liby's next court appearance was set for 12
December.
There has been anger in Libya over the US commando
raid on 5 October, which many say was a breach of
Libyan sovereignty.
Prime Minister Ali Zeidan argued that Libyan nationals
should be tried in Libya. However, he said that ties
between Tripoli and Washington would not be affected
by the issue.
Mr Liby was first put on a US Navy ship for
interrogation but brought to the US when his health
began to deteriorate after he stopped eating and
drinking, a US official said.
Mr Liby had been on the FBI's most wanted list for
more than a decade, with a $5m (£3.1m) bounty on
his head.
He was indicted by a New York grand jury in absentia
in 2000.
The attacks on the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and
the US diplomatic mission in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands.
Most of the victims were civilians.

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