LOS ANGELES - A panel of judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the release of a Buena Park man who has been detained since July 2004.

The decision marks the third time in as many days that the government has tried to bypass court orders ordering the release of Abdel Jabbar Hamdan.

'There is absolutely no reason why the government should continue to detain Mr. Hamdan,' said ACLU/SC attorney Ahilan Arulanantham. 'This man has done nothing wrong and three times the Courts have ordered him released. He must be reunited with his family immediately.'

Monday, lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice asked the Ninth Circuit panel to stay a Thursday ruling, which was reaffirmed Friday, by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr. In a decision issued late Monday, the panel again said his continued detention is unjust and Hamdan must be immediately released.

ACLU of Southern California attorneys for Hamdan said Department of Justice and Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials said he should be released soon.