Hamdan’s lawyer said in opening statements that the Yemeni, held for nearly seven years before his trial, was just a paid employee of the fugitive al Qaeda leader, a driver in the motor pool who never joined the militant group or plotted attacks on America. But prosecutor Timothy Stone told the six-member jury of U.S. military officers who will decide Hamdan’s fate that Hamdan had inside knowledge of the 2001 attacks on the United States because he had overheard a conversation between bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

“Virtually no one knew the intended target [of the fourth plane], but the accused knew,” Stone said. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania. U.S. officials have never stated it was shot down although rumors saying that abound to this day.

Hamdan, a father of two with a fourth-grade education, is charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism in the first U.S. war crimes trial since World War Two. Washington has declared captive Taliban and al Qaeda fighters unlawful enemy combatants not entitled to the rights afforded formal prisoners of war. Hamdan could face life in prison if convicted.

“He served as bodyguard, driver, transported and delivered weapons, ammunition and supplies to al Qaeda,” Stone said. The first two prosecution witnesses were U.S. military officers who were in Afghanistan during the early days of the U.S. invasion in 2001. Both addressed a key issue at trial — whether Hamdan had surface-to-air missiles when he was captured at a checkpoint near Takhteh Pol in November 2001.

Defense lawyers dispute the prosecution’s contention that Hamdan had the weapons. But a U.S. officer identified only as Sergeant Major A said the missiles were found in the trunk of a car driven by Mr. Hamdan. He said troops also found a mortar manual with al Qaeda on the front, a book by bin Laden and a card issued to al Qaeda fighters and signed by Mullah Omar, the Taliban commander.

Al Qaeda expert with the FBI Ali Soufan provided information about the structure of the terrorist outfit. Regarding Hamdan Soufan said, “The people who are around bin Laden have to be trusted ... true believers in the cause.”