Defense: Terrorism defendant wanted peaceful reform
A defense lawyer is telling jurors in closing arguments at a New York terrorism trial that the Saudi Arabian defendant sought peaceful reform in his home country, rather than backing terrorism.
Attorney Bobbi Sternheim said Thursday that Khaled al-Fawwaz worked with Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s before the al-Qaida founder became radicalized. Prosecutors say al-Fawwaz was a top aide to bin Laden for nearly a decade before deadly bombings at two US embassies in eastern Africa. The bombings killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans.
