WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Washington ordered the release of a Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee, ruling the government's evidence was too weak to confine the man.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the Justice Department failed to prove Mohammed El Gharani, 21, a citizen of Chad, is an enemy combatant because it relied on statements made by two other detainees with questionable credibility, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
"A mosaic of tiles this murky reveals nothing about this petitioner with sufficient clarity" to justify his continued confinement, Leon ruled Wednesday.
Gharani was arrested in Pakistan and turned over to the United States in 2002. He has been in Guantanamo Bay military prison since.
The government alleged Gharani went to Afghanistan, where he trained at a military camp affiliated with al-Qaida, fought for al-Qaida and was a messenger for several of the terrorist organization's members.
Gharani's attorneys said he was 14 when he went to Pakistan to learn English and develop computer skills.
"Judge Leon did justice today," attorney Zachary Katznelson said.
Justice Department attorneys declined to comment, the Post said.
In November, Leon ordered the release of five Algerian detainees who were living in Bosnia when arrested.
