WASHINGTON, Aug 3: A US federal judge ruled the Department of Justice must release the names of the people detained after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks and sharply rejected many of the rationales the Bush administration presented in keeping them secret.

The ruling is a major setback for the Bush administration, which is now defending its post-Sept 11 security and anti-terrorism measures in court.

Over 1,200 people, including hundreds of Pakistanis, were detained in weeks of roundups and midnight raids across the United States. Other prisoners are mainly Muslims from the Middle East or Central Asia. The Justice Department declined to release their names or the names of their lawyers and in many cases it was days or weeks before their friends or families knew they were in custody.

Many of the detainees have since been deported. A planeload of 180 Pakistanis were sent home in June and dozens of others were sent individually on commercial flights. The US authorities are still holding about 400 Pakistanis many of whom face almost certain deportation.

In a written opinion, District Court Judge Gladys Kessler said on Friday the government “must release the identities of all individuals detained during the course of its Sept 11 investigation” and disclose the identities of legal counsel representing those detained.

Mr Kessler gave the government 15 days to comply and allowed only two exemptions: if the detainee is a material witness to a terror investigation and if the person being held does not want to be identified. The order also requires the government to release the names of the attorneys representing the detainees.