Dowsari, a Saudi student imprisoned in the United States on terrorism charges, has allegedly suffered a nervous breakdown, his uncle has claimed. Turki Al-Dowsari was quoted by Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper as saying that a long period of solitary confinement has destroyed 20-year-old Khalid's mental health. “He talks about unknown matters and has hallucinations,” Khalid's uncle was quoted as saying. Khalid was arrested in 2008 on charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction to target the residence of former US president George Bush in Texas. He has been in prison ever since and much of his prison days have been spent in solitary confinement. Khalid's family insists that solitary confinement is the reason for the nervous breakdown. “We noticed during a phone call that there was a difference in the way Khalid talked and responded to our queries. He has lost the self-confidence he was known for. Now he talks about unknown matters, delusions and incomprehensible beliefs,” Turki said. “When he talks he focuses on his fear that his family would also follow the same path as the one he has taken,” Turki said. The US Justice Department accuses Khalid of purchasing chemicals and machinery for manufacturing a primitive explosive device to target the Bush residence, dams and American nuclear power plants.
