ICC finds Congolese warlord guilty in its first verdict - CNN International

International Criminal Court finds warlord guilty of conscripting and enlisting childrenProsecutors: Thomas Lubanga recruited children to fight for Congolese rebel forcesLubanga, who surrendered in 2006, was the court's first arrest

(CNN) -- The International Criminal Court on Wednesday found a Congolese warlord guilty of turning children into killers, marking the war crimes tribunal's first verdict in its decade of operation.

Judges convicted Thomas Lubanga of conscripting and enlisting children under age 15 and using them to participate in "hostilities" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The violence occurred between 2002 and 2003 in the mineral-rich eastern part of the nation, the court said.

Lubanga will remain in custody pending later sentencing.

The verdict marks a milestone for the international court that targets war crimes worldwide. It is the first verdict issued by the Netherlands-based court, which has 14 other cases, three of which are in trial stage.

Lubanga, who surrendered in 2006, was also the court's first arrest since it was established about a decade ago to address crimes of international concern, including genocide and war crimes.

His trial also marks the the first time a suspect has faced an international tribunal solely based on charges involving the use of child soldiers, the court said.

Lubanga coordinated the recruiting of child soldiers and forced them to serve in militia roles, including as his bodyguards, the court said.

Testimony against him included former child soldiers, who told the court that he recruited them to kill, rape and rob their victims.

"This case represents a huge step in the struggle against these serious crimes against children," Luis Moreno Ocampo, the court's top prosecutor, said in a statement posted on its website. "Child conscription destroys the lives and futures of thousands of children around the world. This case will contribute to exposing the problem and in stopping these criminal practices."

Lubanga is one of more than a dozen people sought by the international court, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and Joseph Kony, the fugitive Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

His verdict sets a precedent for others accused of similar crimes, including Kony, who became an Internet sensation last week after the release of a video detailing brutality by his rebel army.

Kony is accused of using children to kill and mutilate his enemies across four African nations, including Uganda and Congo.

CNN's Bharati Naik contribued to this report.

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Man pleads not guilty in NYC terror pipe-bomb plot - Las Vegas Sun

The Associated Press

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 | 3:23 a.m.

A man charged with plotting to attack police and soldiers with homemade bombs pleaded not guilty Tuesday to rarely used state-level terrorism charges.

Jose Pimentel nearly whispered "not guilty" in a case authorities describe as bringing down an overt al-Qaida sympathizer who was building a pipe bomb to act on his violent beliefs, but his lawyers call an example of police overreaching.

"We think that when a jury hears both sides of this case, they'll see it for what it really is," one of his lawyers, Susan J. Walsh, said as she left court.

A Dominican-born Muslim convert also known as Muhammad Yusuf, Pimentel had a website detailing his belief in jihad, or holy war, and said he believed Muslims were obligated to attack Americans as retailiation for U.S. military action in Muslim countries, authorities said.

Pimentel told an informant he wanted to attack targets that included police cars and stations, post offices and soldiers returning home from abroad, authorities said. He was arrested while making his homemade bomb in November, according to prosecutors and police.

"Jose Pimentel engaged in a plot to build improvised explosive devices and use them to commit acts of violent jihad," crossing a line between rhetoric and trying to take action, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement after Pimentel was indicted last month on charges including weapons possession and conspiracy as terror crimes. Both carry the possibility of up to life in prison if Pimentel, 27, is convicted.

The terrorism charges stem from a state law passed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Most terrorism cases are federal, and the state law has been used only a handful of times, including in another Manhattan case against two men charged with plotting to attack synagogues.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has said federal authorities were apprised of the investigation into Pimentel, but circumstances ultimately compelled investigators to act fast and use state charges.

Two law enforcement officials, however, have said the FBI stayed out of the case because agents felt he wasn't inclined or able to act without the informant's involvement. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case.

Pimentel's lawyers have said he was broke, lonely and curious _ "prime pickings" for an informant out to help himself with his own legal trouble, they said.

A person familiar with the matter has said the informant's case was a minor marijuana arrest; the person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the information hasn't officially been made public.

View the original article here

ICC finds Congolese warlord guilty in its first-ever verdict - CNN International

International Criminal Court finds warlord guilty of conscripting and enlisting childrenProsecutors: Thomas Lubanga recruited children to fight for Congolese rebel forcesLubanga, who surrendered in 2006, was the court's first arrest

(CNN) -- The International Criminal Court on Wednesday found a Congolese warlord guilty of turning children into killers, marking the war crimes tribunal's first verdict in its decade of operation.

Judges convicted Thomas Lubanga of conscripting and enlisting children under age 15 and using them to participate in "hostilities" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The violence occurred between 2002 and 2003 in the mineral-rich eastern part of the nation, the court said.

Lubanga will remain in custody pending later sentencing.

The verdict marks a milestone for the international court that targets war crimes worldwide. It is the first verdict issued by the Netherlands-based court, which has 14 other cases, three of which are in trial stage.

Lubanga, who surrendered in 2006, was also the court's first arrest since it was established about a decade ago to address crimes of international concern, including genocide and war crimes.

His trial also marks the the first time a suspect has faced an international tribunal solely based on charges involving the use of child soldiers, the court said.

Lubanga coordinated the recruiting of child soldiers and forced them to serve in militia roles, including as his bodyguards, the court said.

Testimony against him included former child soldiers, who told the court that he recruited them to kill, rape and rob their victims.

"This case represents a huge step in the struggle against these serious crimes against children," Luis Moreno Ocampo, the court's top prosecutor, said in a statement posted on its website. "Child conscription destroys the lives and futures of thousands of children around the world. This case will contribute to exposing the problem and in stopping these criminal practices."

Lubanga is one of more than a dozen people sought by the international court, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and Joseph Kony, the fugitive Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

His verdict sets a precedent for others accused of similar crimes, including Kony, who became an Internet sensation last week after the release of a video detailing brutality by his rebel army.

Kony is accused of using children to kill and mutilate his enemies across four African nations, including Uganda and Congo.

CNN's Bharati Naik contribued to this report.

View the original article here