Blow to US prosecutors as terror case witness barred

The judge in the first civilian trial of a former Guantanamo inmate has ruled that a key US government witness cannot testify, in a blow to prosecutors. Defendant Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani denies helping al-Qaeda kill 224 people in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Africa. The judge ruled the witness could not testify as he had been named by Ghailani while he was "under duress". A BBC correspondent says the move complicates plans to try Guantanamo detainees in civilian courts. The Obama administration is hoping to hold such trials for a number of high-profile inmates, including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.