Charges dropped against USS Cole suspect

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. government has dropped charges against the man suspected of masterminding the bombing of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri were dismissed "without prejudice" -- meaning they could be refiled later -- by Susan Crawford, convening authority at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, CNN reported.

Crawford's actions cancels a Monday hearing in the Guantanamo court that would have set up a confrontation between President Barack Obama and the Pentagon over the prison's closure, Politico said. Now, all cases at Guantanamo are in line with the president's order to halt court proceedings at the detention center, a Pentagon spokesman said.

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