Allegation from Ramzi bin al Shibh a rare lively moment in a day that was otherwise devoted to lengthy legal arguments

A defendant in the September 11 terror attack case alleged Tuesday that guards at Guantánamo Bay have been withholding food when he is in court or meeting with his lawyers. Military officials denied that has happened.

The charge by Ramzi bin al Shibh came as he angrily explained to the military judge in his case why he did not want to attend the afternoon session on the second day of a weeklong pretrial hearing at the US base in Cuba.

"It is a form of psychological torture," he said.

The judge, Colonel James Pohl, has been allowing the five defendants to skip sessions of their pretrial hearings, but he has said they will be required to attend their actual trial, which is likely at least a year away. The other four defendants had already decided not to come to court Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Guantánamo Bay prison, navy captain Robert Durand, later said Shibh was provided with a "freshly prepared meal" that met Muslim dietary standards, but "the defendant complained that his lunch did not include condiments such as olives and honey."

The allegation from bin al Shibh, a Yemeni accused of aiding the 9/11 hijackers, was a rare lively moment in a day that was otherwise devoted to lengthy arguments over aspects of a protective order that governs the handling of classified evidence in the complex terrorism trial.

Lawyers for the five prisoners believe the rules as written make it harder for them to mount a defense based around the men's harsh treatment while in CIA custody. The arguments were expected to continue Wednesday.

The five prisoners facing trial in the case include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has portrayed himself as the mastermind of the terrorist plot, and all of them face charges that include terrorism and murder. They could get the death penalty if convicted.