A federal judge Friday ordered the Obama administration to free a long-held Guantanamo captive who fled his native Algeria years ago and kicked around Europe as a construction worker for a decade before his capture in Pakistan.
Judge Gladys Kessler's order to free Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed, 48, raised to 31 the number of detainees who have won their federal unlawful detention suits since the U.S. Supreme Court empowered Guantanamo detainees to file and argue habeas corpus petitions.
In contrast, judges have upheld the indefinite detentions of eight other men among the 215 now at Guantanamo.
Kessler's order was classified Friday, meaning her rationale for ordering his release was not yet made public.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said government lawyers were "reviewing the ruling.''
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