London, July 21 : A former driver of al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden has pleaded not guilty to charges at the first war crimes trial to be held at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility run by the United States.

Yemeni national Salim Hamdan, 37, has been accused of conspiracy and supporting terrorism, and faces life in prison if he is convicted. Hamdan has been in custody for nearly six years

About 270 suspects still remain in detention in Guantanamo Bay.

In December, a US military judge said there was credible evidence that Mr Hamdan had served as the al-Qaeda leader''s bodyguard, and sometimes picked up and delivered weapons from 1997 to 2001. (ANI)