OTTAWA — Retired judge Frank Iacobucci says he needs more time to investigate the cases of three men who claim Canadian authorities had a hand in their overseas torture.

Iacobucci will ask the federal government to extend the Jan. 1 deadline set out in the terms of reference for his largely closed-door inquiry.

Iacobucci is looking into the conduct of Canadian officials in the cases of Abdullah Almalki, Muayyed Nureddin and Ahman Abou-Elmaati from 2001 to 2004.

The former Supreme Court justice says he's preparing to interview the three men.

Elmaati says he was tortured in Egypt and Syria, while Almalki and Nureddin say they were tortured in Syria.

Commission lawyers have reviewed more than 35,000 documents and interviewed 39 officials or former officials from the RCMP, CSIS and the Foreign Affairs Department since the inquiry was called last spring.

Iacobucci says more work needs to be done, issues surrounding national security have to be reviewed, and inquiry participants have to be consulted before he can produce a final report.

Unlike the Maher Arar inquiry, the latest commission is being held almost completely in secret.

Ottawa awarded Arar $10.5 million in compensation after a public inquiry concluded faulty information passed by the RCMP to U.S. officials likely led to his deportation to Syria, where he was jailed and tortured.

Advocates for Almalki, Elmaati and Nureddin want to know whether Ottawa paved the way for their interrogations in league with foreign allies.

Almalki, an Ottawa electronics engineer, was detained in Syria in 2002 and held for 22 months.

Elmaati, a Toronto truck driver, was arrested in Syria on a visit in 2001, then sent to Egypt in early 2002. He was imprisoned there for almost two years.

Toronto geologist Nureddin was held for 34 days in Syria in late 2003 and early 2004.