Alaa the doorman is free

I heard wrong about the outcome of Alaa’s trial for burglarizing my upstairs neighbor. He wasn’t found guilty. Instead, the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. (This news just came to me this evening from an unimpeachable source within the building.)

My reaction to this news is relief, both because I’d like to see the kid get a second chance, and also because I’m glad to hear that the military tribunals here are capable of dropping charges for lack of evidence. That inspires confidence.

We all have the pretty strong sense that he’s guilty, but unless the proof was ironclad, it would seem like a pretty cruel way to ruin a life, sending him to military prison for 7 years.