British judges criticize U.S. 'threat'

The court sides with the British government on refusing to release a document on alleged U.S. torture of a prisoner. But two judges accuse the Bush administration of making threats over the document.

Reporting from London -- Two of Britain's most senior judges accused the United States on Wednesday of having threatened to withhold intelligence from the British government if it released information about the alleged torture of a terrorism suspect currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian resident of Britain, has alleged that he was tortured during interrogations by American, British and Pakistani security agents after being detained in Pakistan in 2002. His lawyers say Mohamed was taken by U.S. authorities to Morocco and Afghanistan in a so-called extraordinary rendition for questioning and subjected to inhumane treatment, including threats of sexual mutilation.

Attorneys for a group of news organizations demanded publication of a brief summary of what allegedly happened to Mohamed while in American custody, based on U.S. documents given to the British government. British officials argued against the summary's release on the grounds of national security.