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Guantanamo trial delayed after lawyer collapses

13 August 2010 18:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. There will be at least a 30-day delay in the case of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr due to the need for medical attention for his defense attorney, according to a lawyer for the Office of Military Commissions, APA reports quoting CNN.
Lt. Col. Jon Jackson, who collapsed during testimony Thursday, will be transported from Cuba for medical attention, Deputy Chief Counsel Lt. Col. Bryan Broyles said.
Jackson’s collapse apparently is related to recent gall bladder surgery, and the seriousness of his condition is unknown, Broyles said Thursday.
Jackson, the only attorney representing Khadr in the court, was questioning a prosecution witness when he stopped, asked for water, then fell to one knee and then rolled to the floor.
The military court viewed a 30-minute video Thursday that the government said shows the then-15-year-old Khadr helping to assemble and plant roadside bombs targeting American troops in Afghanistan.
The tape was discovered at the compound where Khadr was captured in 2002, a month after the firefight in which Khadr was seriously wounded and an American Special Forces soldier was killed.
The Canadian-born Khadr, now 23 and the youngest detainee at Guantanamo naval base in Cuba, is accused of killing Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer.
According to English subtitles added to the tape, one person of several seen on the tape, says, "Allah willing, we will get a good number of Americans." The video shows Khadr looking much younger than he appears in court now and beardless. There is no date on the tape.
Segments of the tape appear to show people assembling elements of roadside bombs from anti-tank mines and using an ax to bury them and detonation wires.
A limited number of journalists and other observers have been allowed in the courtroom. No recording of the proceedings is allowed.
Army Col. Pat Parrish, the military commission judge, has predicted the trial could take several weeks.