Australian pleads guilty in Guantanamo

An Australianpleaded guilty Monday to terrorism-related charges, a step that lawyers say will allow him to return home after five years in the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

David Hicks, 31, could be sentenced by the end of the week, American military officials said.Hicks's lawyers said they are not allowed to discuss the details of the plea deal but it is expected Hicks will be allowed to serve his sentence in Australia.

"This is the first step toward David returning to Australia," said David McLeod, an Australian attorney for Hicks.

Hicks, charged with providing material support to terrorism, is accused of fighting alongside al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. He is the first detainee at the Guantanamo centre to face prosecution.

Hicksentered the plea in a military courtroom at Guantanamo Bay. The judge, Col. Ralph Kohlmann, ordered lawyers to attend another session Tuesday to sort out details of the plea. Hicks, a Muslim convert, shaved his beard before his arraignment but kepthis hairlong because it blocks the constant light in his cell, his lawyer said.

In the days leading to the hearing, defence lawyers said Hicks did not expect a fair trial and was considering a plea deal to end his imprisonment.

Hicks is the first detainee charged under the new U.S. Military Commissions Act. Officials have said they plan to prosecute as many as 80 prisoners at Guantanamo, and some could face the death penalty.