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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Judge halts 9/11 Guantanamo trial | Judge halts 9/11 Guantanamo trial |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A judge has suspended for 120 days the Guantanamo Bay trials of five men accused over the 9/11 attacks, as requested by US President Barack Obama. | |
| Among the five is alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who had opposed the suspension saying he wanted to confess to his role in the attacks. | Among the five is alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who had opposed the suspension saying he wanted to confess to his role in the attacks. |
| Mr Obama had earlier asked for a four-month halt to all tribunals at Guantanamo to review the process. | Mr Obama had earlier asked for a four-month halt to all tribunals at Guantanamo to review the process. |
| The request was one of his first acts as president. | The request was one of his first acts as president. |
| Before the judge's ruling, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three others accused over the 11 September 2001 attacks had said they opposed halting the trials. | Before the judge's ruling, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three others accused over the 11 September 2001 attacks had said they opposed halting the trials. |
| Lawyers for a fifth man supported the proposed suspension. | Lawyers for a fifth man supported the proposed suspension. |
| Earlier a judge in a separate case - that of Omar Khadr, a Canadian man accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan in 2002 - suspended that trial. GUANTANAMO BAY Established after 9/11 attacks to hold foreign terror suspects250 inmates remain in the campCharges brought in 21 cases Profile: Key 9/11 suspects'Struggle' to close GuantanamoQ&A: Guantanamo detentions | |
| The Associated Press news agency reported that the Obama administration was circulating a draft executive order calling for the closure of the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay within a year. | |
| It is not known when Mr Obama will issue the order. | |
| Mr Obama has repeatedly promised to close the camp, where some 250 inmates accused of having links to terrorism remain and 21 cases are pending. | |
| In his inaugural address on Tuesday, he emphasised the idea of respect for justice and the rights of the individual, rejecting "as false the choice between our safety and our ideals". | |
| A two-page document issued late the same day and ordered jointly by Mr Obama and the US Department of Defense, sought a 120-day suspension of trials. | |
| The delay would "permit the newly inaugurated president and his administration time to review the military commission process", the document said. | The delay would "permit the newly inaugurated president and his administration time to review the military commission process", the document said. |
| The legal process has been widely criticised because the US military acts as jailer, judge and jury, the BBC's Jonathan Beale reports from Guantanamo. | |
| However, closing Guantanamo Bay will not be easy, he says. Questions remain over where those charged will be tried and where those freed can be safely sent. | |
| Our correspondent reports that the written ruling to suspend the 9/11 cases brought a sense of relief among defence lawyers, who had criticised them as "show trials". | |
| But representatives from five families of victims of the attacks expressed anger and frustration, with one accusing Mr Obama of political posturing. |