Abu Agila Mas’ud was, a Libyan national, had been scheduled to go on trial in Washington on 12 May, but district court judge Dabney L Friedrich has now agreed to delay the trial following submissions from the prosecution and defence.

A court document details that lawyers had raised the issue of the case’s complexity as well as the amount of time they had to adequately prepare for both pre-trial proceedings and the trial itself.

They also commented on the issue of “voluminous discovery, including evidence located in other countries”, and the need for the defence to determine its strategy.

A new date for the trial has not yet been set.