Washington, July 30 (Xinhua) A federal judge in Washington DC Thursday ordered the Obama administration to release a young Afghan detained at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle ruled that Mohammed Jawad, who is in his early 20s, was being held illegally and therefore must be released.

Jawad is accused of throwing a grenade that injured two American soldiers and their interpreter in Kabul in 2002 when he was 16 or 17 years old. He was sent to Guantanamo and has been there since then. His defence lawyers said Jawad was forced to make confessions on the incident under torture.

However, Huvelle's ruling may not end the case.

Obama administration representatives said while they are negotiating with Afghan authorities for Jawad's return to this country, they are also pursuing a criminal investigation against him, which means they could bring Jawad to US soil for trial.