Lawyers seek medical reprieve for Guantanamo detainee

WASHINGTON – Lawyers for a longtime Guantanamo detainee are seeking a specialized medical evaluation, saying that he was mentally ill long before his detention and that his psychological condition has deteriorated after years of imprisonment and interrogation.

Representatives for Mohammed al-Qahtani argued Thursday in federal court in Washington that al-Qahtani should be subject to a Mixed Medical Commission, a special tribunal that would determine if his psychological problems merit repatriation to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. officials believe al-Qahtani was meant to be involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, but he was denied entry at Orlando International Airport a month earlier. He was captured by the Pakistani army at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the fall of 2001.

Al-Qahtani has a history of mental illness and was involuntarily committed by Saudi authorities in May 2000.