Judge refuses to dismiss embassy bombing charges

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has rejected a request from defense lawyers for a Libyan man that charges related to the 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa be dismissed.

Judge Lewis Kaplan said there was no legal basis to support claims that Abu Anas al-Libi cannot be tried in U.S. courts. Defense attorneys had argued in court papers that international treaties were violated when al-Libi was forcibly removed from his vehicle outside his home in Tripoli, Libya in October 2013.

They say he was forcibly removed to a U.S. Navy vessel, where he was interrogated for a week.

Al-Libi is charged with conspiring to bomb embassies in Kenya and Tanzania where 224 people were killed, including a dozen Americans.

His lawyer didn’t immediately return a message for comment Thursday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up