Where is Guantanamo thread?

[Arrian]

I wouldn't be surprised if we've created a few terrorists in Gitmo.

I'm equally sure many of those held are indeed our enemies, and have been from the outset.

But the proper thing is to try them in a court of law. What, you think that a US jury is likely to go easy on a suspected Islamist terrorist?

This "OMG, we can't take them out of limbo!" stuff is silly. As for which state... how out CA? Is Alcatraz still available?

-Arrian

[BeBMan]

Europeans, per usual, are pleased to whine about Gitmo but when time comes to actually DO ANYTHING its the same old song and dance.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0123/p05s01-woeu.html

Yeah, we need more whining about evil Euros from Americans instead

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Europeans, per usual, are pleased to whine about Gitmo but when time comes to actually DO ANYTHING its the same old song and dance.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0123/p05s01-woeu.html

... noone asked yoiu to open Gitmo in the first place... and while it would be cavalier of Europe to take some of them on board - why? Are we to blame that you elected Bush? As far as I am aware UK wanted all of it's own citizens back where all bar one have already been returned, and I am pretty certain everyone you will feel safe handing over their own citizens back - will take them.

In any case I am sure that an appropriate solution for the "terrorists" will be found... but a good way to turn a pro-Obama and pro-US thread into anti-European

[MrFun]

I think we will win the war on terror in oh, about five hundred years.

WASHINGTON – A Saudi militant who was released from Guantanamo Bay after six years of confinement is now a top figure in the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, a U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed Friday.

Said Ali al-Shihri was released in 2007 to the Saudi government for rehabilitation. He re-emerged this week, identified by a militant-leaning Web site as a top deputy in "al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula," a Yemeni offshoot of the terror group headed by Osama bin Laden.

The Yemeni branch has been implicated in several attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital Sana.

Al-Shihri is one of a small number of deputies in the group, the U.S. counter-terror official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive intelligence.

The militant Web site, which referred to al-Shihri under his terror nom de guerre, "Abu Sayyaf al-Shihri," also revealed his Guantanamo prisoner number, 372.

The announcement from the militant site came the same day that President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing the closure of the jail at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year.

A key question facing Obama's new administration is what to do with the 245 prisoners still confined at Guantanamo. That means finding new detention facilities for hard-core prisoners while trying to determine which detainees are harmless enough to release.

At least 18 former Guantanamo detainees have "returned to the fight" and another 43 are suspected of resuming terrorist activities, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said on Jan. 13. He declined to provide the identity of the former detainees or what their terrorist activities were.

It is unclear whether al-Shihri's name would be a new addition to that list of 61.

The Internet site, an online magazine published by al-Qaida affiliates, announced that al-Shihri is the group's second-in-command in Yemen. "He managed to leave the land of the two shrines (Saudi Arabia) and join his brothers in al-Qaida," the statement said.

Included in the site's material was a message to Yemen's populace from al-Qaida figure Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's top deputy.

According to Pentagon documents, al-Shihri was stopped at a Pakistani border crossing in December 2001 with injuries from an airstrike and recuperated at a hospital in Quetta for a month and a half. Within days of leaving the hospital, he became one of the first detainees sent to Guantanamo.

Al-Shihri allegedly traveled to Afghanistan two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, provided money to other fighters and trained in urban warfare at a camp north of Kabul, according to a summary of the evidence against him from U.S. military review panels at Guantanamo Bay.

An alleged travel coordinator for al-Qaida, he was also accused of meeting extremists in Mashad, Iran, and briefing them on how to enter Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department documents.

Al-Shihri, however, said he traveled to Iran to buy carpets for his store in Riyadh. He said he felt bin Laden had no business representing Islam, denied any links to terrorism, and expressed interest in rejoining his family in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen is rapidly re-emerging as a terrorist battleground and potential base of operations for al-Qaida and is a main concern for U.S. counterterrorism officials. Al-Qaida in Yemen conducted an "unprecedented number of attacks" in 2008 and is likely to be a launching pad for attacks against Saudi Arabia, outgoing CIA Director Michael Hayden said in November.

The most recent attack, in September, killed 16 people. It followed a March mortar attack, and two attacks against Yemen's presidential compound in late April.

The impoverished country on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula has a weak central government and a powerful tribal system. That leaves large lawless areas open for terrorist training and operations.

Yemen was also the site of the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors. Seventeen suspects in the attack were arrested; ten of them escaped Yemen's jails in 2003. One of the primary suspects in the attack, Jamal al-Badawi, escaped jail in 2004. He was taken back into custody last fall under pressure from the U.S. government.

___

Associated Press writer Maggie Michael contributed to this report from Cairo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/...anamo_al_qaida

[Dinner]

So, which US state is going to end up holding all these terrorists?

They want to move a bunch of them 3 miles from my house (to MCAS Miramar).

In the end though it doesn't matter since they won't exactly be getting weekends out.

[Dinner]

I wouldn't be surprised if we've created a few terrorists in Gitmo.

I'm equally sure many of those held are indeed our enemies, and have been from the outset.

But the proper thing is to try them in a court of law. What, you think that a US jury is likely to go easy on a suspected Islamist terrorist?

This "OMG, we can't take them out of limbo!" stuff is silly. As for which state... how out CA? Is Alcatraz still available?

-Arrian

Amen, brother man. Try them or send them home. In the end I expect virtually all of the nations will end up accepting their own citizens back.

[Ramo]

It's amusing to watch the '***** fret about having one of these guys on US soil, as if they're going to break out of solitary in Ft. Leavenworth, hitch a ride to Kansas City, and then set off a dirty bomb.

[SpencerH]

I wouldn't be surprised if we've created a few terrorists in Gitmo.

I'm equally sure many of those held are indeed our enemies, and have been from the outset.

But the proper thing is to try them in a court of law. What, you think that a US jury is likely to go easy on a suspected Islamist terrorist?

This "OMG, we can't take them out of limbo!" stuff is silly. As for which state... how out CA? Is Alcatraz still available?

-Arrian

It is extremely naive to believe that the scum held in Guantanamo are entitled to a trial. In no other american war have enemy combatants been accorded such a right. Personally, I'd like to know what "crime" would they be charged with?

As for a jury letting them go, let me point out that every day in this country violent criminals go free as a result of technicalities. Just how well 'mirandized' do you think these scum were? Can you not imagine the antics that trial lawyers will engage in if/when this occurs.

If y'all want to give them a trial, I say fine. Send em back to where they actually broke the law, Afghanistan. Last I recall, their punishment was a whole lot more severe than ours.

[Riesstiu IV]

They still owe us for the free housing and food!

[SpencerH]

... noone asked yoiu to open Gitmo in the first place... and while it would be cavalier of Europe to take some of them on board - why? Are we to blame that you elected Bush? As far as I am aware UK wanted all of it's own citizens back where all bar one have already been returned, and I am pretty certain everyone you will feel safe handing over their own citizens back - will take them.

In any case I am sure that an appropriate solution for the "terrorists" will be found... but a good way to turn a pro-Obama and pro-US thread into anti-European

You dont seem to aware that the home countries of many of these individuals dont want em back. Since Europe has whined about our 'maltreatment' of these scum perhaps europe should 'DO SOMETHING' rather than just flap its multilingual gums.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

about a hundred have already been released and repatriated during Bush years (amongst them even some children)... 50-60 they would like to let go, but have issue with China... and the rest - I am sure there will be a solution over the next year./.. for those found guilty... well dependable where you take them to trial, I am pretty certain you have good jails to put them into... like with any other foreign criminals who committed crimes in the US...

[DinoDoc]

I'm actually curious. Given the fact that most of these people were never on US soil or anywhere else where US civilian law normally extends, what portion of the penal code could be applied to them if they were brought to trial in US courts? Generally they are only held as long as they are deemed to have intelligence value, yes?

[Arrian]

It is extremely naive to believe that the scum held in Guantanamo are entitled to a trial

How the **** do you know they're scum? How do you know half of them weren't turned in my the guy down the street who wanted his $500 or whatever the reward was that day for "Al Qaida operatives?" If they are obviously "scum" they should be convicted.

Personally, I'd like to know what "crime" would they be charged with?

Seems to me we've prosecuted terrorists before.

-Arrian

[DinoDoc]

If they are obviously "scum" they should be convicted.

Of what?

[Arrian]

How about one or more of these:

Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted, 1996, U.S. District Court (before then-U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey) -- plotting terrorist attacks on the U.S. (currently: U.S. prison, Butler, North Carolina);

Zacarias Moussaoui, convicted, 2006, U.S. Federal Court -- conspiracy to commit the 9/11 attacks (currently: U.S. prison, Florence, Colorado);

Richard Reid, convicted, 2003, U.S. Federal Court -- attempting to blow up U.S.-bound jetliner over the Atlantic Ocean (currently: U.S. prison, Florence, Colorado);

Jose Padilla, convicted, 2007, U.S. Federal Court -- conspiracy to commit terrorism (currently: U.S. prison, Florence, Colorado);

Iyman Faris a/k/a/ Mohammad Rauf, convicted, 2003, U.S. Federal Court -- providing material support and resources to Al-Qaeda, conspiracy to commit terrorist acts on behalf of Al Qaeda (currently: U.S. prison, Florence, Colorado);

Masoud Khan, convicted, 2004, U.S. Federal Court -- conspiracy to commit terrorism as part of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Islamic jihad (currently: U.S. prison, Terre Haute, Indiana);

John Walker Lindh, convicted, 2002, U.S. Federal Court -- providing material support to the Taliban (currently: U.S. prison, Florence, Colorado).

-Arrian