In a significant development, a Yemeni prisoner accused of being a key accomplice in the September 11, 2001, attacks has been ruled mentally unfit to stand trial by a military judge.
Ramzi bin al-Shibh, aged 51, has been detained at Guantánamo Bay for years under suspicion of aiding in the organization of the terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
Bin al-Shibh, along with four other defendants, including the alleged mastermind of the plot, was facing charges of conspiracy to carry out acts of terrorism and was scheduled to go to trial in a military tribunal at the detention camp.
However, in August, a military medical panel determined that al-Shibh was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the torture and solitary confinement he endured during his four years in CIA custody, according to The Associated Press.
Colonel Matthew McCall, the military judge, concurred on Thursday that al-Shibh’s mental state warranted his removal from the trial.
While pretrial proceedings for the other four defendants continued on Friday, the focus remains on bin al-Shibh’s harrowing ordeal.
Bin al-Shibh, a Yemeni national, was apprehended precisely one year after the 9/11 attacks. He stands accused of aiding a group of hijackers in Hamburg, Germany, in carrying out the attacks.
Between 2002 and 2006, he was held in one of the CIA’s secretive “black site” prisons, where he endured torture that, according to his defense lawyer David I. Bruck, left him mentally unbalanced. The reported torture methods included prolonged periods of solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and being forced to stand for extended periods while restrained and wearing a diaper.
Bin al-Shibh also recounted being subjected to terrifying experiences, including torture by invisible entities that caused intense physical discomfort and even made his entire cell shake.
Prosecutors had argued that bin al-Shibh’s ability to understand some legal proceedings indicated his fitness for trial. However, the recent ruling emphasized the significant impact of his mental condition on his ability to focus on the proceedings.
In response to the ruling, David I. Bruck stated that it underscores the severe consequences of the CIA’s torture program on defendants. The case continues to highlight the complex and deeply troubling issues surrounding the treatment of detainees involved in high-profile terrorism cases.