The self-portrait of an Al Qaeda leader

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed put the murder of reporter Daniel Pearl on his long list of terrorist acts.

from the March 16, 2007 edition

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He said he and many other detainees had made false statements under torture that were then used against others. He added that none of his statements and admissions made during the Saturday hearing at Guantánamo was in any way forced or coerced.

The president of the military panel sought to assure Mohammed that his allegation of torture would be made part of the record "and will be reported for any investigation that may be appropriate."

Mohammed told the panel, "I hope you will take care of other detainees with what I said. It's up to you."

To detainees' rescue

He used part of his statement to appeal to the US military to release what he said were a significant number of detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp who were unconnected to Al Qaeda or any hostilities against America. "I'm asking you again to be fair with many detainees which are not enemy combatant," he said. "Many of them have been unjustly arrested."

Mohammed's statement comes as the US Supreme Court is set to consider on Friday whether to take up on an expedited schedule the plight of 45 detainees who say they are being held illegally without charge at Guantánamo.

Lawyers for the detainees say they have no connection to Al Qaeda and are asking for an opportunity to prove their innocence to a federal judge.

The Bush administration is arguing that under the terms of the Military Commissions Act the federal courts lack jurisdiction to hear their cases.

Instead, government lawyers say, the detainees must make their cases in Combat Status Review Tribunals – the same forum at which Mohammed appeared on Saturday.

Mohammed's tribunal must decide whether there is sufficient evidence to continue to hold him as an enemy combatant. If there is, he might then be considered for trial for alleged war crimes before a military commission at Guantánamo.

• Staff writer Gordon Lubold contributed to this report.

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