Footballer convicted for working with Osama Bin Laden acquitted 23 years later
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Accused of conspiring with Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, Nizar Trabelsi found himself on a plane heading to the United States.
In 2003, the former soccer player was convicted in Belgium of planning an attack on US military staff members at the Kleine-Brogel air base. He would then go on to be indicted by a US grand jury in 2006, leading to his 2013 extradition to the United States which took place shortly after he finished his original sentence in Belgium.
The Tunisian national was alleged to have met with Osama Bin Laden before the 9/11 terrorism attacks on the US. His extradition to the United States was carried out, despite the European Court of Human Rights ruling he should not be sent across the Atlantic.
But now, 20 years of sentences and legal battles concluded this summer with Trabelsi being acquitted by a jury in Washington DC.
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On July 14 2023, a jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts of three charges: conspiracy, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to kill US nationals outside the States. “Innocent. Finally, I am innocent. 22 years [later],” Trebelsi, who played soccer in Germany, said at the end of his trial.
His attorney Sabrina Shroff also told CNN: “The verdict reflects the best of our legal system. Mr. Trabelsi was very lucky – he had an intelligent and fair jury who reached the right verdict.”
She added: “Mr. Trabelsi hopes the government of Belgium will right its wrong – a wrong that cost him 22 years of his life” .
Belgium was also ordered to pay the 53-year-old €10,000 in compensation for every year he spent in a US prison, totalling €100,000. A report devised by a special envoy from the United Nations also understands he was being kept in isolation 24 hours a day, within a cell that has no natural daylight.
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According to the Washington Post, an official from the justice department said Trabelsi would be placed in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement but offered no further comment. It is currently unclear when he will be able to begin rebuilding his life.
Over the course of his football career, Trabelsi played for the likes of Fortuna Dusseldorf, Wuppertal SV, FC Wulfrath, SV 09/35 Wermelskirchen, and VfR Neuss.
- Premier League
- Al-Qaeda
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