WASHINGTON - A federal judge yesterday accused the Bush administration of hiding evidence in the case of a Yemen man who has been held as a terror suspect at Guantanamo Bay for six years.

US District Judge Emmet Sullivan said he was forced to delay ruling on whether to free Aymen Saeed Batarfi because as many as 10 documents of classified information were withheld from the court until recently.

"I think it's unfair, I think it's disingenuous," Sullivan said during an hour-long hearing.

He added: "This government, especially, hides the ball when it suits this government's purpose."

Sullivan also presided over last fall's trial of former Senator Ted Stevens, when prosecutors broke rules requiring them to turn over evidence favorable to the Alaska Republican.

In yesterday's case, Justice Department attorneys admitted that at least some of the recently-revealed documents dated back to September.

But Justice attorney John Henebery said the government did not believe the information had to be turned over immediately.

The information in the documents - compiled by the Defense Department and other government intelligence agencies - is unknown because it is classified. Much of the evidence in the cases of hundreds of detainees who are seeking release in US District Court in Washington will never be made public.

Batarfi's attorneys say the 38-year-old Yemen doctor was first held by US forces at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in late 2001 and transferred to the US naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in April 2002.

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