He was formally convicted of providing material support to terrorism and will receive a maximum of seven years in jail as part of a plea deal agreed last week. The sentence is expected to be handed down this weekend.

Hicks admitted he had trained with alQaeda, fought with the Taliban and that a friend of his believed he had approved of the 11 September 2001, attacks on the US. The judge revealed that the plea bargain included a provision that he would get no credit for the five years he has served in Guantanamo Bay and that he agreed not to sue the US for any illegal treatment he received.

The plea bargain included a ban on him speaking to the media for one year, and an agreement that any money he made from selling his story would go to the Australian government. He also agreed that he had "never been illegally treated by any persons in the control or custody of the US".

Hicks, 31, entered the military commission hearing room a different man to the one who wore prison scrubs and long hair on Monday. He wore a blue suit, purple-spotted tie and white shirt. His hair was cut short and neat, parted on the right side. He looked as if he was applying for a job.

The judge, Colonel Ralph Kohlman said, "Good morning, Mr Hicks." He sat next to his lawyer, Major Michael Mori, quietly answering the judge's questions about his understanding of the terrorism charge to which he was pleading guilty.

Earlier, the chief prosecutor, Colonel Morris Davis, said that if Hicks' guilty plea was not genuine and was being offered only to escape Guantanamo Bay, that would be perjury. Hicks, who is said to have renounced Islam in prison, took the oath before giving an explanation of his behaviour, swearing to tell the truth "so help me God".

The judge led him through his confession, which was largely as the prosecution had alleged for several years, other than omitting that he had been asked to be a martyr for al-Qaeda, or met the American Taliban member John Walker Lindh or the British shoe bomber, Richard Reid.

Hicks said that in January 2001 he went to Afghanistan with the assistance of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba to attend an al-Qaeda training camp. He went to an eight-week training camp, where he learnt about weapons and tactics.

He also admitted attending a training course in April 2001 on guerrilla warfare and mountain tactics. It was during this course that he met Osama bin Laden. When bin Laden arrived at the camp, the recruits had their weapons taken away and were lined up when he spoke to them.

Hicks admitted that he asked bin Laden why al-Qaeda's training manuals were not in English. He also admitted attending a third training course in June 2001 on urban fighting, which included sniper training and techniques on kidnapping and assassination.

He admitted conducting surveillance of the former US embassy in Kabul.

Two days before the 11 September attacks, Hicks left Afghanistan for Pakistan. He saw the television coverage of the World Trade Centre attacks there. The next day, he returned to Afghanistan. He denied having any advance knowledge of those attacks.

When the US bombing of Afghanistan began on 7 October, Hicks was at Kandahar airport. On 10 October, he went to guard a tank outside the airport, staying there for about a week. He went to the front lines in Konduz, but fled when they were overrun.

Hicks had met Arab fighters who said they intended to fight to the death, but he decided to flee. He was captured trying to flee.

Hicks' father, Terry, said last week: "He's had five years of absolute hell. I think anyone in that position if they were offered anything they would take it."