While staying there, bin Laden showed up with in a truck with an entourage of AK-47-toting men, Alwan said. He testified that he recognized bin Laden as the FBI's "most wanted guy.''
He also testified he overheard Abu Ghaith explaining an Islamic oath, or "bayat.'' He said the defendant told the men that if they swore allegiance to bin Laden, they were also expected to back the Taliban.
The recruits were shown a video depicting the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Aden harbor in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors, Alwan said. Prosecutors say the video was narrated by Abu Ghaith.
After seeing the video, he said, "I knew I was in over my head.''
Once at the camp, Alwan informed his trainers that he wanted to go home. But he was told that he need to meet face-to-face with bin Laden first.
He testified that bin Laden quizzed him about America, asking, "How are Muslims there? ... How are the youth there? What do they think of the operations?'' By operations, Alwan said, he assumed bin Laden meant suicide missions.
"I just said, `Oh we don't think about it,''' he testified.
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