Three weeks later he arrived at the front lines near Konduz, where he briefly fought coalition forces before he was forced to flee. He was later captured by the Northern Alliance and handed over to US forces.
In the years since, he has become a cause celebre in his native country. Australian Prime Minister John Howard pushed US officials to deal with Hicks' case more quickly. The charge against Hicks carries a maximum sentence of lifetime imprisonment but US and Australian officials said he may be able to serve his time in Australia.
Meanwhile, Hicks, who is held alone in a small cell and is only allowed out for a maximum of two hours a day of recreation, shows signs of severe depression and is too fragile emotionally to aid his defense team, his attorneys said.
"He has to focus on ordinary things, day to day living, and he can't look beyond that to the broader issue of the case," Dratel said.
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