Bin Laden relative's trial will not hear from accused September 11 mastermind

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed holds up a piece of paper in this artist's sketch during a court recess at pre-trail hearing at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, October 15, 2012. REUTERS/Janet Hamlin

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jurors deciding the fate of a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden will not hear testimony from the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday.

Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected as "entirely baseless" a motion by defence lawyers to admit the testimony in the trial of Suleiman Abu Ghaith, 48, a former al Qaeda spokesman who is one of the highest profile people to face terrorism-related charges in a civilian court in the United States.