Mother of former U.S. Marine says son suffers in Mexico jail

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The mother of a former U.S. Marine held for six months in a Mexican prison appealed on Wednesday for the U.S. government to do more to free her son, who told her his guards threatened him with rape, torture and execution. Andrew Tahmooressi, 26, was arrested on March 31 by Mexican customs agents who found three guns in his pick-up truck at a border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana. He was charged with weapons offenses and has been imprisoned ever since. His case has drawn the attention of U.S. lawmakers, who took the unusual step of scheduling a House of Representatives hearing during a congressional recess in the hope of putting pressure on Mexico and on President Barack Obama's administration to intervene more urgently in the case. "My son is despondent, without treatment, and he needs to be home," Jill Tahmooressi said at the hearing. She said her son told her the Mexican guards had threatened him, and he had urged her to "go underground," cancelling her bank accounts and not come to Mexico, fearing she would be killed. Mexican authorities deny Tahmooressi has been mistreated. Supporters say Tahmooressi, who is now in the reserves, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his military service. They said he entered Mexico accidentally at a poorly marked border crossing after deciding to move to San Diego to obtain treatment for his PTSD. Arizona Republican Representative Matt Salmon, who called the hearing, said he felt hopeful Tahmooressi would be released soon. He said Mexico's attorney general assured him he has the authority to dismiss the case on humanitarian grounds once he has expert testimony confirming Tahmooressi's PTSD, and that process is under way. Mexican authorities have said Tahmooressi did not cross the border by accident and did not declare his weapons. The hearing occasionally turned sharply political. "I am mystified that President Obama couldn't find time between negotiating with terrorists to call our ally, the Mexican president, to appeal to him on behalf of our Marine," said Salmon, who has visited Tahmooressi in prison. A White House spokesman said Obama has not called Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto because the State Department is handling the issue. State Department officials say they care "deeply" about Tahmooressi's case and are in close touch with Mexican authorities, but that every country has its own judicial process. (Additional reporting by Liz Diaz in Mexico City.; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Andre Grenon)