WASHINGTON — U.S. military prosecutors have re-filed terrorism and murder charges against the alleged mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. It will be the first case to move forward since President Barack Obama ordered military trials to resume at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The charges allege that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri led the planning and preparation for the USS Cole attack that blew a hole in the ship, killing 17 sailors and wounding another 40.
Prosecutors are requesting the death penalty.
The charges are referred to the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, which presides over the war crimes tribunals at the U.S. base.
Al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, was previously charged in connection with the bombing, but those charges were dropped in 2009 as the administration revamped the military commission process.