U.S. charges Bin Laden’s son-in-law

Suleiman Abu Ghaith is accused of inciting violence against the U.S.

U.S. officials have arrested and filed terrorism charges against Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama Bin Laden, and spokesman for terrorist group, al-Qaeda, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

He is to appear in court in New York on Friday and faces charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens. He could be sentenced to up to life in prison.

Mr. Ghaith, who is married to one of Mr. bin Laden’s daughters, had been part of al-Qaeda since at least May 2001, the Justice Department said.

He urged others to swear allegiance to the terrorist group and acted as the group’s spokesman, warning of attacks similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, the indictment against him said.

On September 12, 2001, he warned in a video in which he was seated by Mr. bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda at the time, and with Ayman al-Zawahiri that a “great army is gathering against you’’.

He called for Muslims to battle “the Jews, the Christians and the Americans.”

Mr. Ghaith later warned the U.S. that “`the storms shall not stop, especially the airplanes storm.”

Osama Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011 and Mr. Zawahiri is the current leader of al-Qaeda and remains on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, first reported that Mr. Ghaith was in the hands of U.S. authorities.

He was captured in Turkey but Ankara initially refused to hand him over to the U.S.

He was later was taken into U.S. custody in Jordan.

(NAN)