this move , all cases at Guantanamo are now in line with the president 's order to halt court proceedings at the detention center , according to Gordon . Al-Nashiri is accused of planning the October 2000 bombing of the Cole while it was in the Yemeni port of Aden . The attack killed 17 American sailors and crippled the vessel , which returned to service in 2002 . The Office of Military Commissions , which manages the prosecutions of suspected terrorists , said last week that it might have to temporarily drop charges against al-Nashiri to comply with the presidential order . When prosecutors asked for a continuance in the trial , Pohl denied the request , saying the government 's `` argument for continuances were unpersuasive , '' according to a copy of his opinion . Pohl noted there had been no previous requests for a delay , and that the public 's interest in a speedy trial would be harmed by further delay . Al-Nashiri was captured in 2002 . He was held in secret locations until being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 . Meanwhile , the White House has invited families of sailors who died
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. government has dropped charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri , the suspect in the bombing of the destroyer USS Cole , according to a Pentagon spokesman . Parents and friends at the funeral in 2000 for a sailor killed during the bombing of the USS Cole . The charges were dropped `` without prejudice '' by Susan Crawford , convening authority at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , according to Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon . The proceeding did not address specifics of the government 's case against al-Nashiri , who remains a `` high value '' detainee held at Guantanamo . In removing the charges without prejudice , prosecutors can resubmit charges at a later date while at the same time complying with President Barack Obama 's order to the military to hold off on cases for four months . On his first day in office , Obama ordered the halt , requiring prosecutors to seek delays in the 14 active cases before military commissions there . But the judge , Col. James Pohl , ordered arraignment for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri to go ahead as scheduled on Monday . With