Rare News Desk
When President Barack Obama set up the Periodic Review Board for inmates in Guantano Bay, Cuba, he filled the ranks with intelligence officials from public and private agencies who did not require congressional confirmation.
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Three years later, the review board is gearing up to release more prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, news of which may cause alarm to the general public.
The New York Post has detailed the upcoming release and some of the prisoners that may soon go free.
President Obama, according to the Post, has mandated any evidence obtained during forceful interrogation should not be brought into consideration when deciding the fate of the prisoners.
Almost 80 prisoners in total have been cleared for extradition, transfer or release.
Mohammed al Qahtani
Charges against al Qahtani have been filed and dropped multiple times in the 12 years since he was taken by American authorities. The alleged torture of al Qahtani has been well documented and was even referenced in the 2012 film “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Al Qahtani attempted to enter the U.S. one month before 9/11 and was refused entry by customs officials. He was later captured during the Battle of Tora Bora in 2002.
The State Department after his arrest reported that al Qahtani admitted to meeting Osama bin Laden, trained with al-Qaeda fighters and was initiallyy sent to the United States by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shieikh Mohammad.
Time magazine following his arrest in 2006 published a detailed log of al Qahntani’s 20-day interrogation. The log asserts he was beaten, underwent forced sleep deprivation and was strapped to a chair and forced to watch a cartoon in which he had sex with Osama bin Laden.
Al-Qahtani has since recanted his initial statements
Abu Zubaydah
An alleged al-Qaeda leader, charges have never been filed against Zubaydah. After being sentenced to death in Jordan for plotting to attack Jordanian and American targets, Zubaydah was arrested in 2002 by a joint task force of Pakistani and American authorities.
When he was arrested, he was holding bank cards that matched accounts with ties to al Qaeda.
In 2009, the Obama administration released a report that confirmed its belief that Zubaydah had never had any ties to al Qaeda and was essentially a victim of circumstance.
Zubaydah’s mental health in recent years has deteriorated and he is believed to be suffering from split personality disorder.
Ghaleb Nassar al Bihani
In the years since his capture fighting for al Qaeda, al Bihani has taken up yoga and enjoys reading about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Dhali Lama.
Though his brother is rumored to be an Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, the review board has found al Bihani no longer poses a threat to the U.S.
After initially considered uncooperative by the federal government, al Bihani denounced the claim that his brother is in al Qaeda and has reportedly turned into a model prisoner.
The review board suggested he be transferred to a neutral third country and be given appropriate medical care upon release.
While initial intelligence pointed to several connections to al Qaeda, al Bihani’s attorney has long asserted his client was merely a cook.
Ali Ahmad Mohammad al Razihi
An alleged member of Osama bin Laden’s security detail, he was captured fleeing bin Laden’s camp in Tora Bora at the end of 2001.
In his time in Gitmo, he has reportedly taken up an interest in business and sales, and has been described as a peaceful man.
Intelligence officials, despite his changing attitude, cautioned the review board as they believe he will again assimilate into terrorist culture upon release.
Prior to his detainment, al Razihi was rumored to have been recruited and trained by radical militants in his native Yemen.
Mahmud Abd al Mujahid
Those in the intelligence community fear this former bin Laden bodyguard would immediately take up with his brother, another former bin Laden bodyguard, upon release.
Al Mujahid has expressed that he has always been a peaceful man and hopes to start a milk-and-honey farm upon his release.
Throughout his detainment, al Mujahid has said he never met Osama bin Laden.
Much of al Mujahid’s testimony before the review board was redacted for release, indicating the inmate may have, in fact, provided vital information to the U.S.
