Sulaiman Abu Ghayth literally sat at the right hand of Osama bin Laden and played a critical role in announcing al Qaida’s call for jihad against the United States following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a prosecutor told a jury Wednesday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin pointed to Abu Ghayth, saying he started work immediately after the attacks, accepting bin Laden’s request to incite more young men to join al Qaida and vow publicly to America that the “storm of airplanes will continue.”