JURIST - Paper Chase: Kuwait court acquits eight accused of planning attack on US base

[JURIST] A Kuwaiti court on Monday acquitted eight men accused of planning to attack a US base 70 miles south of Kuwait city whom Kuwaiti authorities say have ties to al Qaeda. Defense lawyer Mohammad al-Kundari claims that the six men arrested were subjected to torture [AFP report] in prison and coerced into making false confessions. Two men were tried in absentia. One, who is still wanted on other charges, has eluded Kuwaiti authorities, and the other is in Lebanon facing separate terrorism charges. Five of the six men in court will be released, while the other is currently serving a life sentence on terror charges.

US courts have also conducted numerous trials for those accused of plotting against the military. In February, a US federal court convicted [JURIST report] Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui [JURIST news archive] on charges that she tried to kill US personnel on a base in Afghanistan where she was being held. Last year, a federal court sentenced five men [JURIST report] to life in prison for their roles on an attempted attack on Fort Dix [official website] in New Jersey. Last year, Iraqi insurgent Wesam al Delama, the first insurgent tried in US federal court, was sentenced to 25 years in prison [JURIST report] for planning attacks on US troops in Iraq.