A person accused of making an attempt to affix hijackers in finishing up the September 11 assaults has been repatriated to his residence nation of Saudi Arabia for psychological well being remedy after 20 years detained at Guantánamo Bay, the US Division of Protection mentioned on Monday.
Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani was flown again to Saudi Arabia, to a remedy facility, from the US base in Cuba after a evaluation board together with army and intelligence officers concluded he now not represented a major risk to US nationwide safety, and could possibly be safely launched after 20 years in custody.
“The USA appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and different companions to assist ongoing US efforts towards a deliberate and thorough course of targeted on responsibly decreasing the detainee inhabitants and finally closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the assertion mentioned.
The 46-year-old prisoner has suffered from psychological sickness, together with schizophrenia, since childhood, in response to medical examinations and information obtained by his attorneys. The US dropped plans to attempt him after a Bush administration authorized official concluded he had been tortured at Guantánamo.
Based on a Guantánamo detainee profile maintained by the Protection Division, al-Qahtani was educated by al-Qaida and sought unsuccessfully to enter america on 4 August 2001 to participate within the 9/11 assaults.
US forces later captured him in Afghanistan and despatched him to Guantánamo, the place he was subjected to brutal interrogations that the Pentagon authorized official in command of conflict crimes commissions mentioned amounted to torture.
That remedy included beatings, publicity to excessive temperatures and noise, sleep deprivation and prolonged solitary confinement. An FBI official in 2002 noticed al-Qahtani chatting with nonexistent individuals, listening to voices and crouching in a nook of his cell whereas masking himself with a sheet for hours at a time.
“After 20 years with out trial in US custody, Mohammed will now obtain the psychiatric care he has lengthy wanted in Saudi Arabia, with the assist of his household,” mentioned Ramzi Kassem, a legislation professor on the Metropolis College of New York who represented al-Qahtani with assist from college students for over a decade. “Protecting him at Guantánamo, the place he was tortured, after which repeatedly tried suicide, would have been a possible loss of life sentence.”
His launch leaves 38 prisoners left on the detention heart. He's the second launched beneath Joe Biden, who has mentioned he intends to shut the ability.
The protection division notified Congress of its intention to switch al-Qahtani in February, prompting outrage from some Republicans.
Attorneys for al-Qahtani obtained a federal courtroom order in 2020 requiring a medical examination of the prisoner by an impartial medical panel, which may have ordered his repatriation beneath Military laws if the prognosis of his medical doctors was confirmed. The Trump administration contested the order, a authorized struggle that was dropped beneath Biden.
The 38 remaining prisoners at Guantánamo embrace 19 who've been authorised for repatriation or resettlement by the evaluation board. There are one other 7 who're eligible for evaluation. Ten prisoners face trial by army fee, together with 5 charged with involvement within the September 11 assaults. Their loss of life penalty case has been stalled for years within the pretrial section.
The remaining two prisoners on the base have been convicted, one among whom, former Maryland resident Majid Khan, is nearing the completion of his sentence beneath a plea deal.
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