American Taliban makes first court appearance

John Walker Lindh, the Taliban’s American warrior, made his first appearance in US federal court today, answering politely ‘‘Yes I do, thank you’’ when asked if he understood the charges that he conspired to kill his fellow Americans in Afghanistan.

Lindh wore green prison overalls, with the word prisoner on the back, and his hair and beard were shaven, different from the long hair and full beard he had worn when captured in Afghanistan.

Judge Curtis Sewell also asked Lindh, as he stood at attention facing the facing him, whether he understood the penalties, which could include life in prison.

‘‘Yes I do, sir,’’ Lindh said in a quiet voice that could still be easily heard in the court in Alexandria, a Washington suburb.

Lindh spoke a third time when the judge asked whether he understood that he would be kept in custody until a preliminary hearing, set for February 6.

‘‘No sir, I don’t have any questions,’’ Lindh said, still standing at attention.

Heavy security surrounded Lindh’s arrival at the federal courthouse here, just a few miles from the Pentagon, which was extensively damaged in the September 11 terrorist attacks.