Man believed to have attempted to join 9/11 hijackers released from Guantanamo Bay detention center by Biden admin. officials.
QUICK FACTS:
- A Saudi Arabian man previously held at Guantanamo Bay detention center due to his believed connection to the 9/11 hijackers was released from custody on Monday.
- According to a report by The Epoch Times, the Department of Defense released a statement about Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani following his release.
- Al Qahtani was sent back to Saudi Arabia from the Cuban base following the decision of a review board that included intelligence and military officials.
- The detainee spent 20 years in federal custody and will receive psychiatric treatment in his home country, according to the DOD, following an assessment that he has suffered mental illness, including schizophrenia, since he was a child.
WHAT THE DOD AND OTHER OFFICIALS HAD TO SAY:
- “On June 9, 2021, the Periodic Review Board process determined that law of war detention of Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States. Therefore, the PRB recommended that al-Qahtani be repatriated to his native country of Saudi Arabia, subject to security and humane treatment assurance,” The Department of Defense’s statement said.
- “The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Department of Defense said.
- The decision to release al-Qahtani didn’t sit well with Republican lawmakers, who wrote to the White House asking them to change the plan: “We write with grave concern regarding your administration’s reported decision to transfer terrorist Mohammed al-Qahtani from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia,” Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a letter to Biden dated in February. “We urge you to immediately reverse this decision as we believe this detainee continues to pose serious threats to U.S. national security.”
BACKGROUND:
- Following the release of Al-Qahtani, there are reportedly 38 prisoners left at the detention center, according to the Pentagon.
- This is the second Guantanamo prisoner to be released under President Joe Biden’s administration, having signed off on five prisoner releases in January of this year, according to The New York Times.
