(CNN) -- Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was acquitted Wednesday of all but one count of conspiracy-related charges, in a landmark civilian trial involving the first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in civilian court.
Ghailani was convicted by a federal jury on a charge of conspiracy to destroy buildings and U.S. property, in connection with his role in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
The trial had been widely considered a testing ground for the Obama administration, which has said that it could try some terrorism suspects outside military tribunals and in civilian courts.
The U.S. Justice Department responded to the verdict in a written statement, saying, "We respect the jury's verdict and are pleased that Ahmed Ghailani now faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a potential life sentence for his role in the embassy bombings".
Ghailani faced charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The bombings, for which al Qaeda claimed responsibility, killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans, and wounded thousands of others.
Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan had rejected a defense plea for a mistrial on Monday after a juror claimed to be chastised by fellow jurors for disagreeing with their conclusions, fueling speculation of a possible mistrial.
CNN
