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MIAMI (AP) - Officials of a Navy brig where suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla was held have been ordered to testify at a hearing next week to determine whether his treatment there has left him unfit to stand trial.
It will be the first time Defense Department officials with direct knowledge will speak publicly about Padilla's 3 1/2 years of confinement — which defense experts say has caused him irreparable mental harm and made it impossible for his lawyers to adequately prepare for trial.
Federal prosecutors fought to keep the officials out of Thursday's competency hearing, arguing that the sole issue to be decided is Padilla's mental state now.
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