FIFA exec Warner resigns, bribery investigation dropped

Jack Warner has resigned from his position as FIFA vice presidentWarner was suspended last month following allegations made against himA FIFA probe into corruption claims will not now take place after his resignation

(CNN) -- World soccer's governing body FIFA have confirmed that vice president Jack Warner has resigned from his position within the organization.

Last month Trinidadian Warner, along with fellow-FIFA member Mohammed bin Hammam, were provisionally suspended by FIFA's Ethics Committee, pending the outcome of an investigation of corruption allegations against them.

But, following 68-year-old Warner's resignation, that investigation will now not take place.

A FIFA statement read: "His resignation has been accepted and his contribution to international football and to Caribbean football in particular are appreciated and acknowledged.

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--FIFA statement on Jack Warner

"Mr Warner is leaving FIFA by his own volition after nearly 30 years of service, having chosen to focus on his important work on behalf of the people and government of Trinidad & Tobago as a cabinet minister and as the chairman of the United National Congress, the major party in his country's coalition government.

"The FIFA Executive Committee, the FIFA president and the FIFA management thank Mr Warner for his services to Caribbean and international football over his many years devoted to football at both regional and international level, and wish him well for the future.

"As a consequence of Mr Warner's self-determined resignation, all Ethics Committee procedures against him have been closed and the presumption of innocence is maintained," the statement continued.

Warner, the head of the Caribbean, North and Central American Federation (CONCACAF), and Asian football chief bin Hammam, were suspended after allegations that cash gifts of $40,000 were offered to the heads of CONCACAF's national associations in an attempt to defeat FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter in the presidential election earlier this month.

Chuck Blazer, general secretary of CONCACAF, reported possible misdeeds during the May 10 and 11 conference in Trinidad.

Blatter was subsequently elected unopposed for a fourth term as president and Warner and bin Hammam were suspended while an investigation into the claims continued.

CNN

Bin Laden charges formally dropped

A thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound, officials said.NEW: Facial recognition and DNA tests confirmed bin Laden's death, affidavit saysNEW: Chance of mistaken ID is about 1 in 11.8 quadrillion, official says in affidavitThe U.S. accused bin Laden in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East AfricaA U.S. military raid killed bin Laden on May 2

(CNN) -- The United States has formally dropped criminal charges against former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. military raid in Pakistan last month.

In federal court in Manhattan on Friday, prosecutors disposed of a 1998 indictment that charged bin Laden with murder and conspiracy to kill Americans for his role in attacking U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998. The indictment also alleged that bin Laden tried to attack U.S. defense assets.

The bombing of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people.

A raid by U.S. special operations forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, asked for the change, a request that Judge Lewis Kaplan granted in a brief order.

The action came after a thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound, according to an affidavit from a top U.S. government official that was included in the filing.

The officials noted that facial recognition and photograph analysis confirmed the identity, along with DNA testing of the body.

"The possibility of a mistaken identification is approximately one in 11.8 quadrillion," the official said. Much of the details regarding proof of his death have been previously reported.

The original indictment, filed in secret June 8, 1998, accused bin Laden of murder and conspiracy to kill Americans, among other charges, after the cab bombings that year at the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was the only one originally charged, but other terror leaders were added to that indictment.

Typically, court indictments are dismissed when the defendant dies or is convicted on other unrelated cases. Such requests to drop charges are procedural and routine. Pending federal criminal indictments remain against other top al Qaeda officials and their associates.

Those include open charges against Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was reported this week to have succeeded bin Laden as leader of al Qaeda.

Other pending criminal indictments will probably be amended in coming weeks or months to remove bin Laden's name, including his self-admitted role as mastermind of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York on September 11, 2001.

A number of other civil lawsuits have been filed by surviving victims and family members of the 9/11 attacks, seeking to hold bin Laden and his terror network financially responsible for causing the worst terror attacks ever on U.S. soil. The disposition of those cases remains unclear.

CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report.

CNN

Bin Laden charges formally dropped

A thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound, officials said.NEW: Facial recognition and DNA tests confirmed bin Laden's death, affidavit saysNEW: Chance of mistaken ID is about 1 in 11.8 quadrillion, official says in affidavitThe U.S. accused bin Laden in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East AfricaA U.S. military raid killed bin Laden on May 2

(CNN) -- The United States has formally dropped criminal charges against former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. military raid in Pakistan last month.

In federal court in Manhattan on Friday, prosecutors disposed of a 1998 indictment that charged bin Laden with murder and conspiracy to kill Americans for his role in attacking U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998. The indictment also alleged that bin Laden tried to attack U.S. defense assets.

The bombing of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people.

A raid by U.S. special operations forces killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, asked for the change, a request that Judge Lewis Kaplan granted in a brief order.

The action came after a thorough analysis confirmed that bin Laden did indeed die after Navy SEALs raided his compound, according to an affidavit from a top U.S. government official that was included in the filing.

The officials noted that facial recognition and photograph analysis confirmed the identity, along with DNA testing of the body.

"The possibility of a mistaken identification is approximately one in 11.8 quadrillion," the official said. Much of the details regarding proof of his death have been previously reported.

The original indictment, filed in secret June 8, 1998, accused bin Laden of murder and conspiracy to kill Americans, among other charges, after the cab bombings that year at the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was the only one originally charged, but other terror leaders were added to that indictment.

Typically, court indictments are dismissed when the defendant dies or is convicted on other unrelated cases. Such requests to drop charges are procedural and routine. Pending federal criminal indictments remain against other top al Qaeda officials and their associates.

Those include open charges against Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was reported this week to have succeeded bin Laden as leader of al Qaeda.

Other pending criminal indictments will probably be amended in coming weeks or months to remove bin Laden's name, including his self-admitted role as mastermind of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York on September 11, 2001.

A number of other civil lawsuits have been filed by surviving victims and family members of the 9/11 attacks, seeking to hold bin Laden and his terror network financially responsible for causing the worst terror attacks ever on U.S. soil. The disposition of those cases remains unclear.

CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report.

CNN

Congress Questions Handling of Awlaki Case After Fox News Report on Dropped Arrest Warrant

FoxNews.com

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An investigation by the Fox News Specials Unit revealed that the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks was likely never told by the FBI about an arrest warrant filed and then dropped against American-born radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki

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