31 October 2017 :

In the trial of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the 2000 USS Cole bombing, the case’s entire civilian legal team including its capital defense attorney has quit the case over a secret ethical conflict. The move could freeze progress toward trial in the national security case for the foreseeable future. The USS Cole bombing, which killed 17 U.S. sailors off Yemen two years after al-Qaida’s attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa, underscored the terror movement’s aspirations on the global stage. The case was on track to be the first death-penalty trial held at this remote U.S. Navy base in the post-Sept. 11 war crimes trial system. Attorney Rick Kammen, who has defended Saudi Abd al Rahim al Nashiri since 2008, was released on from the case by the chief defense counsel for military commissions, Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker. The case can’t proceed without him. Two other defense attorneys, who like Kammen are Pentagon-paid civilians, Rosa Eliades and Mary Spears, also quit with permission from Baker but remain on his staff. Members of the legal team withdrew on the belief that the government was listening in on their legal meetings, creating an ethical conflict.