After 12 Years, Guantánamo Bay Prison Releases Accused Al Qaeda Member
A Saudi man named Muhammed Murdi Issa al Zahrani is cleared for a long-awaited release from Guantánamo Bay Prison. The 45-year-old prisoner was arrested 12 years ago, after a report said he “almost certainly” was a member of the Al Qaeda terrorist group.
A report from the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether Guantánamo detainees would be a safety risk if released, said that Zahrani traveled to Afghanistan in 1999 and “almost certainly” joined Al Qaeda, who trained him in military tactics.
Despite his checkered past, the Pentagon has agreed to release him into the authority of the Saudi Arabian government where he will participate in a rehabilitation program for militants.
According to the Guardian, Zahrani’s transfer will bring the total head count at Guantánamo Bay Prison down to 142 men, down nearly 100 people since Obama first took office. The Pentagon considers another 72 of the prisoners of little security risk, and they might be up for the same release process.
According to a Pentagon statement, in the last two weeks Guantánamo officials released seven men, thirteen total for the year, but it hasn’t been without resistance from Republicans on the hill. House Republican Buck McKeon, who will soon be retiring as chairman of the House armed services committee, called the releases “dangerous” and “reckless.”
“They have chosen many times to put politics above national security. It’s time they stop playing with fire and start doing what’s right. Until we can assure the terrorists stay off the battlefield, they must stay behind bars.”
New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte also joined in, writing to the administration, urging them to stop the release program. The letter came after Fox News ran a story saying that the released militants had returned to the battlefield to fight for ISIS in Syria and Iraq. When asked about the Fox News report, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel admitted that some former Guantánamo detainees had “gone back to the fight, to the battlefield.” Although, he didn’t mention the Islamic State.
Mr. Zahrani’s lawyers described him as a middle-aged man who wanted nothing more than to return to Saudi Arabia to see his ailing mother before she dies. Zahrani’s father died while he was still in detention in Guantánamo.
Originally, when President Obama took office, he swore to close the prison. However, congress had different plans and placed restrictions on transferring prisoners.
According to Fox News, congress eased some of those restrictions last December, and the administration has used the opportunity to release some of the prisoners.
By the end of his final term, President Obama might finally make good on his promise to close the Guantánamo Bay Prison altogether, it just took a bit longer than expected.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
