A federal prosecutor in Georgia said on Monday that the three white men facing a hate-crimes trial for murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, had a long history of using racial epithets and undoubtedly killed him because of his race.
Arbery did nothing to deserve his fate, Barbara Bernstein, deputy chief of the Department of Justice's civil rights division, told the US District Court in the coastal town of Brunswick in her opening statement.
Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and neighbour William "Roddie" Bryan were convicted last year of shooting Arbery dead after chasing him in pickup trucks through their mostly white neighbourhood because they wrongly suspected he may have committed a crime.
Ms Bernstein said if Arbery, an avid runner, had been white, he would have been able to go for a Sunday afternoon jog unmolested and "been home in time for Sunday supper".
Unlike last year's state trial, the federal hate-crimes trial will focus more squarely on the motive for the killing and whether the defendants targeted Arbery because he was black, as the prosecution alleges.
Ms Bernstein cited several messages made on Facebook and elsewhere in which all three men used racial epithets.
She especially highlighted the words of Travis McMichael - who shot Arbery - who she said had made violent and racist statements on social media. He had also told a friend that he was glad to have left the US Coast Guard because he no longer had to work with or be around black people, she added.
Defence attorneys for the three men said in their opening statements that they found their clients' use of racial epithets deeply offensive, but stressed it was no reason to convict them. They said the men were not motivated by Arbery's race.
"I can't stand before you and say my client has never used the 'N-word'," said Amy Copeland, the attorney for Travis McMichael. "He did. He left a digital footprint over several years."
But Ms Copeland said Travis McMichael had chiefly been concerned with cases of theft that had left his neighbourhood on high alert when he decided to chase down Arbery.
Trial experts told Reuters that the challenge for the prosecutors will be to back up the evidence of racist utterances with evidence that on the day of the shooting the three men were motivated by racial animus.
The court was scheduled to hear from Special Agent Richard Dial of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who has previously testified that Bryan told his office that Travis McMichael uttered a racial slur as Arbery lay dying.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Company%20profile
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The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ronaldo's record at Man Utd
Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09
Appearances 230
Goals 115
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
