Judge at Gitmo considering pause in 9/11 case

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, CUBA — A judge at Guantanamo Bay is considering whether to put preparations for the Sept. 11 trial on hold because of problems with a Pentagon computer system used by lawyers in the case.

Defense lawyers say they have lost data and have doubts about the security of their email.

The lawyers for the five prisoners charged with planning and aiding the attacks have asked the government to create a new, secure system. That could take at least three months and cost millions of dollars. The judge is hearing testimony on the issue Monday at the U.S. base in Cuba.

This is the sixth session of pretrial hearings in the case since the five men charged in the attacks were arraigned in May 2012. No trial date has been set.