Gitmo Prisoner Charged in Cole Bombing

A suspected al-Qaeda terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay for six years has been charged with masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors and injured 50 others. The treatment of Saudi prisoner Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri in custody, which included waterboarding by interrogators, will be a key element of his defense, reports the Washington Post.

Defense attorneys have vowed to challenge any evidence obtained by coercion, and argue that Nashiri's treatment violates American and international law. Nashiri has said he confessed only because of what he described as torture. The top legal adviser for military commissions said the issue will be decided by the military judges hearing the case. (More USS Cole stories.)