[JURIST] The US Department of Defense has said that two charges have been referred [press release] against Saudi Guantanamo Bay detainee Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al-Darbi for his alleged connections to al Qaeda. Al-Darbi [DOD materials] is the brother-in-law of Khalid al Mihdhar, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers who crashed a jet into the Pentagon. According to the Defense Department's statement Friday, al-Darbi is charged with "conspiring with others to attack civilians, commit murder in violation of the law of war, destroy property in violation of the law of war, hazard a vessel and commit terrorism; and providing material support to terrorism." Military prosecutors at Guantanamo Bay filed charges [PDF text, JURIST report] in December against al Darbi for his alleged role in a plan to bomb a ship off the coast of Yemen or in the Strait of Hormuz. He is accused of conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism under Sections 950v(b)(28) and (25) of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 [PDF text]. He also allegedly attended and worked at an al Qaeda terrorist training camp and traveled to various locales in Pakistan, the UAE, and Qatar to buy materials and recruit help.

Al-Darbi faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He has been held at Guantanamo Bay since March 2003. AP has more.