A federal appeals court has upheld a decision allowing the U.S. government to keep secret photographs and videotapes of a Guantanamo detainee.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling Tuesday in the case involving Mohammed al-Qahtani (kah-TAH’-nee).

Authorities have said al-Qahtani missed being the 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks when he was denied entry into the U.S. at a Florida airport.

A 2012 lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights said the release of the images would be in the public interest. A federal judge who reviewed the material ruled last year said it could be kept secret because extremists might use it to incite violence against Americans.

(AP)