The Trump administration has transferred an al Qaeda suspect to the United States to face trial in federal court for terrorism charges.
The move goes against President Trump’s position during the presidential campaign for holding and prosecuting terrorism suspects at the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also has advocated for prosecuting terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
Ali Charaf Damache, the first foreigner to face terrorism charges in the U.S. under Trump, was transferred from Spain and appeared Friday in federal court in Philadelphia, The New York Times reported.
He was charged with assisting in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad in cartoons.
The Obama administration had begun the process of seeking his extradition to the U.S., the Times said, and Trump continued that effort.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, a leading advocate for using civilian courts for terrorism suspects, credited the Trump administration for its decision to prosecute Damache in the U.S.
“It’s good to see that the president and the attorney general now seem to share my belief in the effectiveness of the world’s greatest judicial system and its ability to keep the American people safe,” Holder told the Times. “Their previous positions were political and counterproductive.”
