Military defence lawyers finished presenting their case in the trial of Osama bin Laden's driver today in the first trial in the US war crimes court at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.
Both sides will be allowed to call rebuttal witnesses before the jury of six military lawyers begins deliberating in the trial of Yemeni prisoner Salim Hamdan, who acknowledges working as bin Laden's driver in Afghanistan but denies joining al Qaeda or taking part in its attacks.
The defence wrapped up its case with written evidence from accused September 11th mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and an alleged co-conspirator who were asked about Mr Hamdan's role in the bin Laden organisation.
The answers were not made public, but a defence lawyer described them as replying that Mr Hamdan was fit to change tires and oil filters but not fit to plan or execute missions.
Mr Hamdan faces life in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism. The Bush administration argues it can also hold him as an "enemy combatant," even if he is acquitted of the terrorism charges, until the "end of hostilities" in the war on terrorism.
Mr Hamdan is the first captive tried in the special tribunals created by US president George W. Bush to prosecute non-US citizens on terrorism charges outside the regular civilian and military courts.
The US government charges that in addition to driving bin Laden, Mr Hamdan occasionally acted as his bodyguard and had two missiles in his car when captured in Afghanistan.
Reuters