Australian convicted in Guantanamo tribunal

By Jane Sutton

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo convicted Australian al Qaeda trainee David Hicks on Friday of providing material support for terrorism, the first conviction of one of the hundreds of suspects held for years at the controversial detention center.

The tribunal judge accepted Hicks' guilty plea as part of an agreement that limits his sentence to seven years in prison, in addition to the five years he has been held at Guantanamo in Cuba. But the deal allows for at least part of that sentence to be suspended.

The 31-year-old former kangaroo skinner from Adelaide is the first person to be convicted in revised military tribunals created by the U.S. Congress after the Supreme Court struck down an earlier version that President George W. Bush authorized to try foreign captives on terrorism charges.

Hicks acknowledged that he trained with al Qaeda, fought with its forces against U.S. allies in Afghanistan in late 2001 for two hours, and then sold his gun to raise cab fare and tried to flee to Pakistan.

He denied having any advance knowledge of the September 11 attacks, which he watched on television from a friend's home in Pakistan.

Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 and was among the first group of prisoners brought to Guantanamo as "enemy combatants" a month later. He had previously claimed he was abused by the U.S. military but said in his plea agreement that he has "never been illegally treated while in U.S. custody."

Hicks' sentence is expected to be announced during the weekend and the United States will send him to Australia to begin serving it within 60 days.

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