Technical glitch delays start of first hearing inside new Gitmo courtroom

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - A technical glitch has delayed the start of the first hearing in a new war-crimes compound at Guantanamo Bay.

No sound was reaching journalists inside the spectators' gallery as an arraignment began for Yemeni detainee Ali Hamza Ahmad Sulayman al-Bahlul, who is accused of serving Osama bin Laden as a bodyguard and al-Qaida recruiter.

Officials attributed the problem Wednesday to a hardware malfunction.

The U.S. military built the courthouse as part of its US$12 million (euro7.8 million) Expeditionary Legal Complex, which is designed to accommodate hundreds of lawyers, journalists and courtroom personnel during the trials.