Jury Selection Begins For Guantanamo Detainee

More than a thousand New Yorkers have been whittled down to 60 to 70 prospective jurors for the first civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee.

The man accused of conspiring to blow up two American embassies in East Africa in 1998 showed up for the first day of his trial looking relaxed and refreshed.  Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was all smiles as he chatted energetically with his lawyers. He was dressed in a powder blue sweater, white dress shirt and tie.  

Ghailani, a Tanzanian, faces life in prison for allegedly killing more than 200 people, including a dozen Americans.  He was first indicted on Dec. 16, 1998 but wasn't captured until 2004. He has been charged with more than 286 different counts.  

Prosecutors allege Ghailani helped purchase a truck and oxygen and acetylene tanks, and also helped transport TNT, detonators and fertilizer for the attack.  After the attack, the government alleges Ghailani worked as a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden and a document forger and physical trainer for Al Qaeda.  

A man who said his friend was killed on 9/11 made the cut as a potential juror.  So did a man who said he had feelings about Islam that MIGHT interfere with his ability to be fair.  

Twelve jurors and six alternates will be chosen next Monday, when opening arguments are scheduled to begin in Manhattan federal court before Judge Lewis Kaplan.