FORT MEADE Md. (Reuters) - A Guantanamo Bay military judge overseeing the trial of an accused al Qaeda leader heard arguments on Monday on what information can be released during his upcoming trial without jeopardizing national security. The Iraqi suspect, Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, is accused of being a senior al Qaeda commander who conspired to bomb Western forces in Afghanistan and of killing civilians and U.S

FORT MEADE Md. (Reuters) - A Guantanamo Bay military judge overseeing the trial of an accused al Qaeda leader heard arguments on Monday on what information can be released during his upcoming trial without jeopardizing national security.

The Iraqi suspect, Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, is accused of being a senior al Qaeda commander who conspired to bomb Western forces in Afghanistan and of killing civilians and U.S. soldiers. He was captured in 2007 and has been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, designated a "high-value detainee."

Prosecutors filed a motion on July 18 to limit from public disclosure information acquired from the suspect when he was interrogated by his U.S. captors, saying it could jeopardize national security.

A military judge is empowered to restrict information in order to protect national security, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikeal Clayton said as he argued for a tightly worded “protective order.”

Defense attorney Air Force Major Robert Stirk said he was concerned too many restrictions could prevent him from adequately representing his client.

“We just want to be able to sit down with our client and discuss the information,” he said.

A key provision in the proposed order includes a restriction on information that could identify people involved in Hadi al Iraqi's capture, detention and interrogation, or disclose how he was questioned.

The judge, Navy Captain Kirk Waits, did not rule on the motions. He set the next hearing for Nov. 17.

The Guantanamo Bay hearing was transmitted by closed-circuit television to a press center at Fort Meade, outside Washington.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson)

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