Guantanamo agents 'used torture'

Mohammed al-Qahtani during a hearing in Yemen, 22 February 2006

US agents at Guantanamo Bay tortured a Saudi man suspected of involvement in the 11 September attacks, the official overseeing trials at the camp has said.

Susan Crawford told the Washington Post newspaper that Mohammad al-Qahtani had been left in a "life-threatening condition" after being interrogated.

The Pentagon said their methods were legal in 2002, when the interviews took place - though some were now banned.

Mr Qahtani remains at Guantanamo, but all charges against him were dropped.

Some of the aggressive questioning techniques used on Qahtani, although permissible at the time, are no longer allowed

'Overly aggressive'

Although officials gave no reason for halting the prosecution in May 2008, Ms Crawford said in her interview that the decision had been taken because of the methods used by US agents.

She said Mr Qahtani had been subjected to sustained periods of cold, isolation and sleep deprivation.