Former US resident pleads guilty at Guantanamo to murder

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- A former CIA "ghost prisoner" who grew up in the Baltimore area admitted to a U.S. war crimes court on Wednesday that he was an al-Qaida money courier and martyr-in-training now prepared to help prosecute other terrorism suspects.

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A lawyer entered the plea on behalf of Majid Khan at the the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. Asked by the judge if he understood the plea, Khan answered in English "yes, sir."

Khan is the first of the so-called "high-value" detainees to plead guilty.

After nearly nine years in U.S. custody, the Pakistani native appeared in public for the first time at the top-security courtroom. He pleaded guilty to all five charges against him, including murder and attempted murder, in a deal that spares him from a potential life sentence in exchange for helping prosecute other prisoners.

Khan, a square-faced 32-year-old with short black hair, goatee and glasses, wore a dark suit, white shirt and tie as he stood in court next to his military lawyer, Army Lieutenant Colonel Jon Jackson, who spoke on his behalf.

His lawyers are seeking to seal the details of his deal to protect him and his family. Prosecutors say it should be open because of overwhelming public interest. A judge is expected to rule on the issue Wednesday.

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Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.