East African terror suspect transferred to Guantanamo News
East African terror suspect transferred to Guantanamo

[JURIST] The US Department of Defense (DOD) Wednesday announced [press release] the transfer of Abdullahi Sudi Arale, a suspected East Africa al Qaeda (EAAQ) courier captured in Somalia, to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. Arale is accused of aiding various EAAQ-affiliated extremists in obtaining weapons and providing false documents to facilitate terrorists traveling to Somalia. DOD says Arale will appear before a Combatant Status Review Tribunal [DOD materials] for a formal assessment of his detention status and that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) [official website] will be given access to him.

There are approximately 385 detainees, including Arale, held as "enemy combatants" [JURIST news archive] at Guantanamo, according to DOD. Pentagon officials say that they plan to transfer 80 detainees to other countries and to try approximately 80 detainees under the framework created by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 [PDF text]. On Tuesday, military judges dismissed charges against two [JURIST report] of the three detainees charged under the Military Commissions Act, citing a lack of jurisdiction [JURIST report]. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

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