GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE—The lawyer of an accused architect of the 9/11 attacks says his client has gone on a hunger strike following what he described as mistreatment by guards last week during a violent incident in his cell, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who is accused of organizing and financing the 9/11 attacks, has been on a hunger strike for more than a week since claiming to have been mishandled during a Dec. 7 scuffle with eight guards responsible for security at the base’s high-security detention camps.
Walter Ruiz, an attorney for al-Hawsawi, told the Free Beacon that his client is "now on a hunger strike in protest."
Al-Hawsawi has dropped to about 113 pounds, according to Ruiz, who filed with the court on Tuesday an emergency medical intervention motion that was later denied by military judge James Pohl. The motions were heard in a closed door hearing on Monday.
Al-Hawsawi claims he was pushed to the ground on Dec. 7 by eight prison guards, "put in a choke hold," and tossed into his cell, according to Ruiz. While al-Hawsawi has been on a hunger strike for about a week, it is not believed that he has been force fed by the prison as a result of his refusal to eat.
Prison authorities would not comment on the incident.
The Joint Task Force, which operates the detention center here, "does not comment on specific reports regarding detainee allegations due to ongoing litigation," Air Force Major Wayne Capps, JTF’s deputy director of public affairs, told the Free Beacon.
However, "all detainees" being held at Guantanamo Bay "receive the same level of medical care provided to service members here," Capps said. "The JTF mission remains focused on conducting safe, transparent, humane, and legal detention operations."
Ruiz also is seeking permission to speak with al-Hawsawi’s doctors about his condition.
Al-Hawsawi is also said to have blood in his urine, which Ruiz says requires immediate medical tests to detect possible cancer.
This request was denied by Pohl, the military judge overseeing pre-trial hearings for the five accused 9/11 plotters, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Al-Hawsawi—like other detainees on trial—also has refused to be handled by female prison guards due to his religious beliefs regarding separation of the genders, according to Ruiz.
Pre-trial hearings for the accused 9/11 terrorists were halted again on Tuesday due not only to the emergency medical issue, but also issues resulting from alleged FBI spying on the defense.
The Pentagon is reported to have spent around $150,000 to fly lawyers and others to Guantanamo Bay for two days of hearings that never took place. The pre-trial hearings are scheduled to resume in February.