IN COURT

Bin Laden Son-in-Law Pleads Not Guilty

To conspiring to kill Americans.

Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiring to kill Americans on Friday during a brief appearance in Manhattan federal court. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who appeared in videos representing al Qaeda after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is one of the highest-ranked al Qaeda officials to undergo a civilian trial in the U.S., a few blocks from the World Trade Center. Republican lawmakers have slammed the Justice Department for bringing the al Qaeda spokesman to New York, saying he belongs in military custody in Guantánamo Bay. Prosecutors said they expect the trial to last three weeks, and the date will be set in April.