Fort Meade (Maryland): Lawyers for the Guantanamo Bay prisoner accused of orchestrating the deadly attack on the USS Cole will present expert testimony on Tuesday at a pre-trial hearing on how to conduct a mental examination of a torture victim.
Dr Vincent Iacopino will testify at the military tribunal in Cuba of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.
The judge, Army Col James Pohl, agreed to hear the testimony before he orders an examination to determine whether al-Nashiri is competent to stand trial.
Defence lawyers say it should be done with sensitivity to Al-Nashiri's history of being water boarded and threatened with weapons while he was being held by the CIA in a series of secret prisons.
The 2000 bombing of the Navy destroyer in Yemen killed 17 crew members and wounded 37.
Al-Nashiri's hearing is being held at the US naval base in Cuba. The Associated Press yesterday watched a video feed of the hearing at Fort Meade.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2013, 20:34