WASHINGTON — The United States announced Monday it had charged a Tanzanian Al-Qaeda leader held at Guantanamo Bay with war crimes in connection with the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa.

The Defence Department said it had charged Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani with murder, attacking civilians and material support for terrorism among other charges related to the August 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Dar es Salaam, which killed 11 people and injured hundreds.

Ghailani was arrested in Pakistan in July 2004, and officials said in early 2005 that he had been handed over to US custody. He had been on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists and had a five million US dollar bounty on his head.

The Pentagon said that after the twin bombings in Tanzania and Kenya, which altogether killed more than 200, Ghailani worked as a bodyguard for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and forged documents and trained recruits.

Guantanamo Bay prosecutors recommended that Ghailani stand trial on capital charges, meaning he would be executed if unanimously found guilty.

AFP