[JURIST] Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Muhammad [charge sheet, PDF] said Thursday that he had been tortured after United States authorities transported him to a Moroccan prison for interrogation. Muhammad is a suspected al Qaeda member and is charged with conspiring with al Qaeda to commit war crimes in the United States. He made his first appearance before a military commission [DOD materials; JURIST news archive] Thursday for a pre-trial hearing [JURIST report] and said he made false confessions after being transferred to a Moroccan prison where he claims to have been beaten, strung up by his arms, and sliced with a scalpel.

Muhammad also referred to the military commissions as a "con" [Reuters report] claiming that after four years of torturous interrogation officials could not even properly spell his name. He has denied allegations that conspired with al Qaeda leaders and US Citizen Jose Padilla [JURIST news archive] to use "dirty bombs" to cause explosions at apartment buildings and gas stations in the US. Muhammad faces a life sentence if convicted and is one of ten Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainees who currently face charges. AP has more.