Federal appeals court refuses to rehear decision to keep cook in Guantanamo

Full appeals court refuses to rehear Gitmo ruling

WASHINGTON — A U.S. appeals court has again upheld the continued detention of a former cook for Taliban forces who said he never fired a shot in battle.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday refused to rehear a petition from Ghaleb Nassar Al Bihani.

He is a Yemeni citizen captured in Afghanistan and held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba since 2002.

A three-judge panel upheld his detention in January. Al Bihani had asked for the full court to reconsider, but the judges turned him down.

Al Bihani has conceded he helped prepare meals for foreign fighters allied with the Taliban in 2001.

Officials have said the court’s decision could make it harder for Guantanamo detainees to challenge their confinement.