[JURIST] The Netherlands Justice Ministry [official website] has extradited Dutch citizen Wasem al Delaema to the US for his role in attempted killings of US soldiers in Iraq during October 2003, according to the Ministry on Saturday. The extradition follows a ruling by the Appeals Court in The Hague that al Delaema could be extradited [JURIST report] for the terror attacks, saying the Court expected the US to observe the prisoner's rights. The US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) [official website] asserts that al Delaema will face trial in federal district court rather than a military commission [JURIST news archive] and that he potentially may serve any sentence in the Netherlands, which could be a maximum of life imprisonment. Al Delaema's trial will be the first for a person accused of terrorist activities in Iraq during the war in that country.

Dutch authorities captured al Delaema in the Netherlands in May 2005. The DOJ charged al Delaema [JURIST report; DOJ press release] in July 2005 after he was seen on a videotape obtained by Dutch prosecutors showing the insurgency group Fighters of Fallujah how to set landmines near US military routes; however, al Delaema claims he was forced to appear on the videotape after being beaten. Al Delaema was indicted [DOJ press release] in September 2005 on four conspiracy charges in addition to several charges related to possession and training in the use of explosives. AP has more.