“One of the men accused of plotting the 9/11 terror attacks isn’t mentally competent to stand trial or assist lawyers in his defence in a capital proceeding at the Guantánamo Bay military prison, a government medical board found.
Ramzi bin al-Shibh’s case has been running since 2008.
He’s accused of organising the terror plot’s Hamburg, Germany, cell, researching US flight schools, wiring money to some of the 19 primary 9/11 hijackers, and reporting information to Al Qaeda’s leaders in Afghanistan.
In April, a military judge in the case ordered three mental health experts to investigate the man’s condition, as US officials prosecute him alongside 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and three others.
A military medical board filed a report under seal on Friday [8/25/2023], which suggested that Mr bin al-Shibh has post-traumatic stress disorder with ‘psychotic features,’ three individuals who saw the report told The New York Times.
The findings could convince Col Matthew N McCall, the judge overseeing the case, to sever bin al-Shibh from the proceedings and try him separately from the other four alleged plotters.
Mr bin al-Shibh’s lawyers have alleged the man was harassed with noises, vibrations, and other de-stabilising techniques while in US custody. …
Mr bin al-Shibh was captured in Karachi in September 2002 and claims he was tortured in custody in captivity in US-affiliated facilities in Afghanistan, Jordan, Poland, and Romania,… He entered Guantánamo in 2006.”
– Josh Marcus, “Accused 9/11 Plotter Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh Isn’t Fit for Guantanamo Trial Because of Mental Illness, Board Finds,” independent.co.uk, August 26, 2023