GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE: A Sept 11 defendant refused to leave his Guantanamo prison cell on Monday and join four other alleged coconspirators in court, delaying the start of a pretrial hearing.

The military judge rejected a prosecution request to order Ramzi Binalshibh to appear, saying they failed to show a “compelling need,” said Air Force Maj. Gail Crawford, a spokeswoman for the tribunals. She said prosecutors were appealing to US Southern Command, which oversees Guantanamo, to authorize the detainee’s forcible removal from his prison cell.

The alleged mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and three other co-defendants sat chatting among themselves in the courtroom while prosecutors sought to force Binalshibh’s attendance.

All five men face possible execution if convicted by the tribunal at this US Navy base in southeast Cuba. No trial date has been scheduled.—AP