Latest news with #Al-Nashiri
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
USS Cole victim's mother awaits suspect's trial
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Saundra Norman, a Harrison County woman and the mother of a man killed in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, returned from visiting Guantanamo Bay this weekend from the courtroom where the trial for the accused mastermind has been delayed yet again. It has become the longest-running death penalty case at Guantanamo Bay. Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri is the man accused of plotting the attack that left 17 dead, including Kevin Rux, Norman's son. Al-Nashiri has been in custody since his arrest in 2002. 'I can't describe the feeling of seeing him again for the first time,' Norman told 12 News. Al-Nashiri's various defense teams have argued that evidence against him was based on hearsay and torture. During last week's hearings, they told the military judge that the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to downsize have made it difficult for them to prepare for the trial, which was scheduled to begin this October. 1 killed in Saturday night crash on I-68 According to a transcript of the hearing posted on the court's website, defense attorney Allison Miller said: 'The quality of representation that I am offering Mr. Al Nashiri is currently below Strickland standards because I am dealing with DOGE-related activity more than I am dealing with the forward progress of this case.' The judge delayed the trial until June of 2026 to allow the defense more time to prepare. 'They're not considering in any way us as the victims and the emotional roller coaster that we have continued to be on for 25 years,' said Norman. Norman is one of a dwindling number of surviving family members of the victims of the attack. Her husband passed away last year. 'Everybody's tired. We're all tired,' said Norman. 'We all have health issues. We've all seen family members die and yet there's that tenacity in me that I can't give up. There has been healing. I have come a long way and yet there's no closure and I don't think there will ever be closure.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Trial delay ‘another disappointment' for USS Cole victim's family
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA (WBOY) — This week marked Saundra Norman's sixth or seventh trip to Guantanamo Bay to observe court proceedings in the case of Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri, the accused mastermind behind the terrorist attack on the US Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000. She's been to the military base in southern Cuba so many times that she has trouble keeping count. Norman's son, Petty Officer First Class Kevin Rux, was one of 17 sailors killed when a bomb-laden small boat struck the ship while it was docked in Yemen. On Monday morning, another round of pre-trial motions was set to be held for Al-Nashiri, but the military judge presiding over the case delayed the trial until June 2026 to allow defense attorneys more time to prepare. Al-Nashiri faces the death penalty. Bridgeport mayor plans legal response to former city manager 'Another disappointment,' said Mrs. Norman via text to 12 News Monday afternoon. Al-Nashiri's trial has been delayed several times since his arrest in 2002. Defense attorneys have previously argued that the evidence against Al-Nashiri was based on hearsay and torture. 'We've had (victims') parents who have died without seeing justice,' Norman told 12 News in 2023. 'We just need to get this trial going. It keeps the wound open and it just doesn't get any easier.' Mrs. Norman and the surviving family members of the victims will spend the rest of the week together at the base. Kevin Rux's body is buried at the National Cemetery in Taylor County. The bridge over Interstate 79 at Saltwell Road in Harrison County is named in his memory. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
