The Guantanamo trial of the chief suspect in the deadly 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen was shut down Friday as defense lawyers refused to return to the case, Pentagon officials said. Military commissions judge Air Force Colonel Vance Spath halted the case, which could lead to the death penalty for Abdel Rahim al-Nashiri, in frustration that he could not compel Nashiri’s main lawyers to show up in court. “The USS Cole bombing trial … military judge has abated indefinitely the pre-trial proceedings,” Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Sarah Higgins said. “It is unknown when pre-trial hearings will begin again.” According to a transcript of Friday’s hearing, Spath complained that he was unable to enforce his orders on Nashiri’s civilian defense attorneys to even join the proceedings by video. “It’s demonstrated lawlessness on their side; they don’t follow orders,” he said. But he also complained of lack of support overall for the military commissions, which have made little progress in the cases for Guantanamo’s remaining prisoners. Suggesting that the military commissions setup was not functioning generally, Spath said he could not go on without the direction of a superior court. Published in Daily Times, February 18th 2018.