In Northern Virginia, the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged by the US authorities in the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, remains in legal limbo as lawyers for both sides wrangle over whether the defence can have access to other alleged al-Qaeda operatives in US custody.

In Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the military tribunals set up to try suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban detainees with war crimes have been suspended after a federal judge ruled that the Bush administration ignored US law and international treaties when it established the special courts.