Khalid al Fawwaz is a peaceful man who was horrified by Osama bin Laden's decision to attack the United States and murder Americans, his lawyer told a federal jury Thursday.

Defense Attorney Bobbi Sternheim said the only thing Fawwaz, accused of broadcasting bin Laden's vows of violence from his base in London, had in common with the al Qaida leader was the shared experience of fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and the desire to reform the government of Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of the Advise and Reform Committee (ARC) office in London, run by Fawwaz until 1998, “was to promote peaceful and constructive reform as to the manner in which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is governed,” she said.