Guantanamo agents 'used torture'

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.

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

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

He had been facing trial on counts of conspiracy, terrorism, and murder in violation of the laws of war.

'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.

"His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case," she said.

Ms Crawford, who was appointed convening authority for military commissions in February 2007, said Mr Qahtani had been interrogated for 18 to 20 hours a day almost continuously for eight weeks.

"The techniques they used were all authorised, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive and too persistent," she said...

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