MIAMI — U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke on Friday delayed the Miami trial of alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla from Jan. 22 to April 16, allowing more time to resolve questions about his mental health.

Padilla, 36, is charged with being part of a North American terror cell that sent money, equipment and recruits to support radical Islamic groups overseas. He was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and held for more than three years in a Navy brig as an "enemy combatant."

His lawyers say Padilla suffers from psychological problems because of mistreatment in military custody and is not fit to stand trial — a charge denied by prosecutors. Cooke extended the deadline for the Bureau of Prisons to complete its mental health evaluation of Padilla to Feb. 9.

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