Judge Rules Lawyers Can Question 9/11 Mastermind

A federal judge ruled Saturday that lawyers will be allowed to question Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a setback for government officials who tried to limit lawyers' involvement in the interrogation of detainees.

Judge Richardo Urbina said the lawyers for detainee Abdul Raheem Ghulam Rabbani could submit questions to Mohammed. Rabbani worked for Mohammed, prosecutors said, but Rabbani's attorneys said he provided nothing but manual labor to the terrorist.

Mohammed is the most high-profile detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba., where he has been held since his 2002 capture.

Urbina's ruling could have bigger implications -- President Obama has ordered Guantanamo Bay closed by January 2010, so detainees' trials are being sped up to expedite the process.

Read more: The Associated Press

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