Osama bin Laden's son-in-law was convicted in New York on Wednesday of conspiring to kill Americans by serving as Al-Qaeda's spokesman after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The verdict was returned for Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in federal court in Manhattan. The 48-year-old Kuwaiti clergyman could face life in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 8 on charges of conspiracy and aiding Al-Qaeda. "This verdict is a major milestone in the government's unrelenting efforts to pursue justice against those involved with the Sept. 11 attacks," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said he hoped the verdict brought some measure of comfort to Al-Qaeda victims. "He was more than just Osama bin Laden's propaganda minister," Bharara said in a statement. "Within hours after the devastating 9/11 attacks, Abu Ghaith was using his position in Al-Qaeda's homicidal hierarchy to persuade others to pledge themselves to Al-Qaeda in the cause of murdering more Americans."

On Monday, during closing arguments of Abu Ghaith’s three-week trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan underscored the importance of the defendant’s post-9/11 status. "During the most important period of time in Al-Qaeda's savage history, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was Osama bin Laden's principal messenger ... He used his fiery oratory to incite Al-Qaeda's growing army of terror in this war with America," he said. Taking the witness stand in his own defense, Abu Ghaith calmly denied he was an Al-Qaeda recruiter and claimed his role was a religious one aimed at encouraging all Muslims to rise up against their oppressors. He insisted that he agreed to meet with bin Laden in a cave on the night of Sept. 11, 2001, only out of respect.

Defense to appeal