UAE Missile Alert Halts USS Cole Hearing for 15 Minutes at Guantánamo

Q: Why did a missile alert in Dubai suddenly halt a Guantánamo witness’s testimony in the USS Cole case?

The testimony stopped because the witness was appearing remotely from the U.S. consulate in Dubai when a real-time missile alert was issued in the United Arab Emirates, forcing security personnel to move him to shelter immediately. Aimen Dean, a former Al Qaeda member who now cooperates with U.S. authorities, was testifying by video in the Guantánamo pretrial hearing for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the man accused of orchestrating the 2000 USS *Cole* bombing. During his testimony, an FBI agent came on screen and said there was a missile alert and they had to go to a safe place. That abruptly cut off the live video feed. At Guantánamo, Judge Col. Matthew Fitzgerald paused proceedings and told the courtroom the interruption could last minutes, hours, or the rest of the day, depending on the security situation. The hearing resumed about 15 minutes later after Dean returned, without further public explanation. UAE authorities later said the country’s air defenses had detected a missile threat aimed at the UAE and that sounds people heard were from interceptions. In other words, the halt was not caused by a courtroom issue or legal dispute, but by an active security emergency at the witness’s location. The interruption underscored how this long-delayed military commission case, already burdened by years of litigation and logistical complications, can still be disrupted by events far outside the Guantánamo courtroom.

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18

A 15-minute missile alert in the United Arab Emirates abruptly stopped a Guantánamo pretrial hearing when witness Aimen Dean was rushed from the U.S. consulate in Dubai during video testimony.
An FBI agent cut in on the courtroom feed to move Dean to safety, and the military judge told the court everyone had fled the building and the delay could last minutes or hours.
The UAE Defense Ministry later said air defenses detected a missile threat headed toward the country and that sounds heard were from interceptions; Dean then resumed testifying without explanation.
Dean was describing Al Qaeda bombing techniques in the case against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, accused of orchestrating the Oct. 12, 2000 USS Cole attack that killed 17 American sailors.
The interruption hit a hearing meant to preview expert testimony before jury selection in October, a trial start set 26 years after the bombing.