A top judge in the US has ordered the relase of 17
The ruling is the first court-ordered release of Guantanamo detainees since the facility opened in 2002.
The Bush administration reacted with anger to the ruling, with a spokesman for the department of justice saying it presented "serious national security and separation of powers concerns and raises unprecedented legal issues".
The department said it would file an emergency request on Tuesday evening for a stay with the US court of appeals in Washington to halt the ruling.
If it loses, it has the option of appealing to the US Supreme Court, the highest in the country.
About 265 detainees are still held at Guantanamo, which was opened in 2002 to hold suspects captured during the US's so-called "war on terror" launched after the September 11 attacks.
Most have been held for years without being charged and some allege they have been abused or tortured.
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