WAR CRIMES ALLEGED: The Defense Department said Wednesday it has finalized war crimes charges against Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, a Sudanese citizen accused of working for Osama bin Laden, paving the way for a war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Al Qosi, who allegedly served as an armed guard and driver for bin Laden between 1996 and 2001, will be arraigned on charges of conspiracy and supporting terrorism, the Pentagon said.
SAILOR CONVICTED: Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, a former Navy sailor, was convicted Wednesday in Connecticut of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters. The American-born Muslim convert faces up to 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in May.
BYRD AILING: Sen. Robert Byrd, 90, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, has been hospitalized for tests after a reaction to antibiotics. Byrd’s office is not saying which hospital the Democrat is in.
QUOTABLE
‘It’s overplayed, it’s been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time, and it’s more appropriate for a funeral than for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.’
– Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley’s Pub and Restaurant, a Manhattan establishment banning the song “Danny Boy” for the entire month of March. Meanwhile, AJ’s Music Cafe in Ferndale, Mich., will stage a “Danny Boy” marathon on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, offering 1,000 renditions of the song over 50 hours.
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Page compiled from Tribune news services
