WASHINGTON — An alleged al-Qaeda sleeper agent held for 5 1/2 years at a Navy brig in South Carolina will soon be sent to Illinois for trial in civilian court, a move the government had fought for years, saying terrorism suspects caught in the U.S. could be held indefinitely without charges.
Two people familiar with the case of Qatar native Ali al-Marri said Thursday that the government plans to transfer him to the civilian court system. One of them said he would be charged with providing support to terrorists. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because it’s a pending criminal case.
The transfer could avert a Supreme Court hearing in April and a subsequent ruling that would govern other cases against alleged terrorists. Al-Marri’s transfer is the first signal of how the Obama administration is likely to handle terrorism suspects, a significant shift from the strategy of the Bush administration.
