U.S. declares alleged USS Cole bomber OK to stand trial

(October 18, 2000 FILE PHOTO) : U.S. Navy and Marine Corps security personnel patrol past the damaged U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole following the October 12, 2000 terrorist bombing attack on the ship in Aden, Yemen.

MIAMI, June 2 (UPI) — U.S. military doctors said in court documents a Guantanamo prison inmate was mentally competent to stand trial for the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole.

A board of mental health experts said in a brief report that Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, but his condition was not serious enough to prevent him from facing trial in military court.

The report also stated the Saudi-born al-Nashiri, 48, was hardwired with “recurrent moderate chronic narcissistic anti-social and histrionic personality feature,” The Miami Herald said Sunday.

The report has not been released to the general public, but the newspaper said it learned the contents from two individuals who had seen it.

The Herald said al-Nashiri, accused of plotting the attack on the USS Cole, underwent waterboarding by U.S. agents after his capture. A mental-health expert said al-Nashiri could be spared the death penalty if his PTSD can be linked to the waterboarding.