Judge Rules 9/11 Defendant Unfit for Death-Penalty Trial

A military judge ruled that Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a defendant in the Sept. 11 case who was tortured by the C.I.A., is ineligible for a death-penalty trial due to severe psychological damage. The judge disqualified bin al-Shibh from the conspiracy case and ordered pretrial proceedings to continue with the other defendants. The ruling supports the claim by bin al-Shibh's lawyer that the C.I.A. torture made him insane. Prosecutors had urged the judge to reject the finding by a team of military psychiatrists that bin al-Shibh was unable to understand the proceedings against him. The judge's decision suspends bin al-Shibh's prosecution until his mental health is restored.