Australian David Hicks pleaded guilty to helping terrorists because he was desperate to escape 5 years of "hell" in Guantánamo Bay and return to Australia, his father says. After years of insisting on his innocence, Hicks is likely to be sent home soon, and may serve any remaining sentence at a high-security prison in Adelaide. He decided to plead guilty yesterday to one count of material support of terrorism at a late-night, unscheduled hearing of the military commission, after an apparent deal between his defense team and the prosecution.

Hicks will have to make a detailed confession of his alleged crime to a military commission before he can be convicted and repatriated. His sentencing is expected early next week.

Main Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Also...

» Hicks’s guilty plea leaves questions about Gitmo  (Associated Press)

» Gitmo ‘illegal’ despite guilty plea, critics say  (Reuters)