A High Court judge on Wednesday found a Tanzanian businessman innocent of conspiracy to commit murder in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in the East African nation. | Just a simple businessman, trying to make a living in a down market... |
"I am not surprised with the judgment because I knew I was not guilty right from the beginning," Hemed told The Associated Press while walking out of the court. Hemed, a car parts dealer, was the first person charged in connection with the Aug. 7, 1998 attacks in Tanzania and Kenya. His trial began in 2000. In 2001, four men were convicted in New York of conspiracy to carry out the bombings and sentenced to life in prison. In Kenya, three men are on trial for allegedly taking part in a series of al-Qaida attacks, including the U.S. Embassy bombing. Hemed was initially charged with 11 counts of murder in September 1998, but the charges were later reduced to conspiracy to commit murder. One person died from injuries after the charges were brought.