Five Sudanese men have been formally charged with murdering a U.S. diplomat and his driver last year.
The men, who could face the death penalty if convicted, entered pleas of not guilty during a hearing in a Khartoum court Thursday.
The men are accused of killing John Granville, an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and his driver, Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama.
The two were shot and killed in Khartoum in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2008.
Prosecutors say the alleged assailants were Islamic extremists who decided to attack foreigners.
The men have said they were tortured into confessing to the crimes.
The men, who could face the death penalty if convicted, entered pleas of not guilty during a hearing in a Khartoum court Thursday.
The men are accused of killing John Granville, an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and his driver, Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama.
The two were shot and killed in Khartoum in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2008.
Prosecutors say the alleged assailants were Islamic extremists who decided to attack foreigners.
The men have said they were tortured into confessing to the crimes.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters
