Army Col. James Pohl, a military judge at Guantanamo Bay, refused Monday to suspend a pretrial hearing for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Al-Nashiri, a Saudi native, is a prisoner at Gitmo who is accused of planning the attack on the USS Cole. His defense lawyers are currently trying to prove that the CIA eavesdropped on their client’s private conversations.

Jim Dykes, the man who abducted a 5-year-old boy from a school bus in Alabama, died. Police are still unsure how Dykes died, but the 5-year-old has been safely released after a week of being held hostage. During the kidnapping Dykes fatally shot the bus driver and was wanted for murder charges on top of the kidnapping charges.

Pirates hijacked a French fuel tanker off the Ivory Coast Monday. Seventeen sailors were on board the ship. This is the latest attack by pirates who target ships intending to steal cargo.

Civil rights lawyers in New York urged a judge Monday to stop the NY Police Department from routinely watching Muslims in public places such as restaurants and mosques. The lawyers stated that the practice violates a court case that banned political surveillance. The city responded by saying no laws have been broken but will look into the matter further. The defense countered the argument by saying the actions help prevent terrorist attacks.

Contact Maura Zurick at [email protected].