From Holden:

Phyicians confirm allegations that an American citizen was tortured by Saudi authorities as FBI agents stood by.

Two doctors who examined a Virginia man accused of joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate President Bush have concluded that he was tortured while in Saudi custody, according to defense lawyers.

The torture resulted in Ahmed Omar Abu Ali giving a false confession to Saudi authorities, according to the lawyers, who are seeking to have the statement thrown out.

“The physical and psychological abuse that Abu Ali suffered over a two-year period critically impaired his capacity for self-determination and overcame his will,” wrote defense lawyer Ashraf Nubani. “It resulted in him making involuntary, false statements to alleviate his suffering and appease his interrogators.”

Federal prosecutors have consistently denied that Abu Ali was tortured.

Nubani also accused the U.S. government of complicity in the Saudis’ alleged torture of Abu Ali.

Here’s another account of Saudi torture methods applied to a British citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.