PHOENIX — Prosecutors have asked a judge to commit the suspect in the shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to a federal facility where he can be evaluated by psychologists to determine whether he suffers from a mental defect that makes him incompetent to stand trial.

Prosecutors on Monday said 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner made several menacing Internet postings in the months before the attack that suggest he has mental issues.

They say Loughner is believed to be the hooded person in a YouTube video who is wearing garbage bags and burning an American flag.