Photographs of alleged al-Qaeda operative Jose Padilla wearing chains, noise-blocking headphones and blacked-out goggles have been seized on by his lawyers as evidence he was subjected to harsh treatment while in military custody as an enemy combatant.
The still video images were filed late on Friday in federal court in Miami as part of an effort by his lawyers to get terrorism-related charges against Padilla thrown out because of "outrageous government conduct" during the three-and-half years he was jailed without charges.
"The extended torture visited upon Mr. Padilla has left him damaged, both mentally and physically," Padilla lawyer Orlando do Campo said in court papers. "The government's treatment of Mr. Padilla has robbed him of his personhood."
The images, taken from an unclassified Pentagon video, show Padilla, a 36-year-old US citizen, chained hand and foot, wearing headphones and goggles, and being led out of his cell by guards dressed in camouflage and wearing riot helmets and visors.
The images are the first publicly released photos of his detention at a Navy prison on a base in Charleston, South Carolina.
The existence of the video was first reported on Monday by the New York Times, which published two photos. One of Padilla's lawyers, Andrew Patel, said he was prevented by court rules from releasing a copy of the video or allowing a reporter to view it.
Patel did verify the Times' account that one guard on the video states that Padilla is being led from his cell to undergo dental work.
Federal prosecutors and Pentagon officials have repeatedly denied Padilla was tortured. In court papers, they said that he was humanely treated and that the tactics used were for "safety and security" reasons.
"If they pose a threat to the individuals charged with transporting them, clearly appropriate measures must be taken to protect the guards and any other personnel involved," Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said on Monday.
Padilla, a former Chicago street gang member, was declared an enemy combatant by US President George W. Bush in June 2002 after he was arrested upon arrival at Chicago's O'Hare Airport as he returned from Afghanistan.
Amid an intense legal battle over the president's wartime detention powers, Padilla was transferred to civilian custody earlier this year to face federal charges of supporting terrorism.
Prosecutors allege Padilla was part of a North American terror support cell that allegedly raised funds and recruited fighters to support al-Qaeda. He is accused in the indictment of filling out an al-Qaeda application in July 2000 to train for "violent jihad" in Afghanistan.
In court papers, Padilla claimed that he was forced to stand in painful stress positions, given LSD or some "truth serum," subjected to loud noises and noxious odors and forced to endure sleep deprivation, extreme heat and cold.
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