The main suspect in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole has appeared before a U.S. military tribunal after nearly a decade behind bars at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Abd al-Nashiri was arraigned Wednesday on charges of overseeing the planning of the October 2000 bombing, which killed 17 sailors and wounded 40 others. His case marks the first death-penalty war crimes trial at Guantánamo under President Obama, despite Obama’s pledge to close the prison. Nashiri has claimed he confessed to the U.S.S. Cole bombing after undergoing repeated torture in U.S. custody. Chief prosecutor Mark Martins discussed the charges against Nashiri.

Mark Martins: “According to the charges referred for trial by military commission, Mr. al-Nashiri planned the complex series of attacks, known as the 'boats operation,' with Osama bin Laden and Khallad bin Attash, and carried them out with various forms of assistance and participation from 23 other named individuals. According to the charges, Mr. al-Nashiri made extensive preparations to implement the al-Qaeda 'boats operation,' some of which he accomplished personally and some of which he directed others to accomplish.”