By Todd Hatton
Murray, KY – A federal judge has ruled that an Iraqi national charged in Kentucky with terrorism-related crimes can be tried in civilian court. U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell ruled Tuesday the Geneva Convention doesn't stop federal prosecutors from bringing charges against 30-year-old Waad Ramadan Alwan. Alwan's attorneys sought to have several charges dismissed because they stem from conduct in Iraq. Alwan and 23-year-old Mohanad Shareef Hammadi were arrested in Kentucky in May and charged with conspiring to send weapons and money to al-Qaida in Iraq. They have pleaded not guilty and remain in federal custody. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has been pushing to have Alwan and Hammadi tried at the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay.