Former Gitmo Detainees Acquitted in Algeria

Two Algerians held for seven years without charge or trial at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay l have been acquitted after after a trial back home in Algeria, their defense lawyer said yesterday.

Faghoul Abdelli and Mohamed Terari were arrested in Afghanistan by Pakistani police following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They had previously been living in Germany, where, their lawyer said, they were involved in the illegal drug trade.

The two men apparently don’t deny drug-dealing, but they’ve consistently denied they were involved in terrorism. They also claimed that they were “brutally tortured” in U.S. custody.

The Algerian prosecutor had sought a sentence of 20 years in prison on terrorism charges.

According to The Associated Press, the verdict was reported by the Algerian state news service but not by prosecutors or the government.