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US Military Lawyers Want Charges Dropped Against Guantanamo Detainees

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U.S. military lawyers want charges dropped against alleged conspirators in the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, saying their cases were improperly influenced by a Pentagon adviser.

In documents released Friday, defense attorneys argue that Air Force adviser Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann failed to provide fair and objective legal advice, and instead pushed prosecutors to take up "sexy" high-profile cases.

The defense's motion pertains to the case of the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other prisoners held at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

A judge had already barred Hartmann from a case against Salim Hamdan, a former driver for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.

Hamdan was scheduled to go to trial early next month, but a military judge on Friday postponed the case for six weeks so the defendant can receive a mental evaluation.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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