The Department of Defense has released three detainees from Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military prison in Cuba, after they spent several years in confinement. One is headed to Kenya while the other two will serve more time in a Malaysian prison for their roles in suspected terrorist attacks.
The two played a part in deadly bombings in Bali back in the early 2000s. The Malaysian detainees worked for the leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
This week, the Pentagon announced Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep pled guilty to conspiracy, intent to cause serious bodily injury and other charges in January 2024.
Those agreements include testimonies against Encep Nurjaman. U.S. prosecutors said Nurjaman ran the Southeast Asian terrorist organization behind the Bali bombings in 2002. The attack killed 202 people at two tourist spots, including 88 Australians and seven Americans.
U.S. officials said the two Malaysian men have been held at the Naval base in Cuba since 2006. Prosecutors approved the transfer to their home country.
“The Convening Authority approved sentences of confinement for approximately five years for each and recommended that both men be repatriated or transferred to a third-party sovereign nation to serve the remainder of the approved sentence,” a press release from the Department of Defense said.
The Pentagon Review Board also released another man back to Kenya. He was accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda’s eastern African branch. Although he was never charged, he was held at the detention facility for 17 years.
A total of 27 Guantanamo detainees remain imprisoned, and more than a dozen are eligible for transfer. Only two have been convicted and sentenced for crimes by the United States.
Under former President Barack Obama’s administration, the U.S. worked to reduce the population so the facility could eventually close. During his presidency, Guantanamo’s prison population went from 800 to 91.
Guantanamo Bay was originally established by President George W. Bush following the terror attacks of 9/11.
While in office, President Joe Biden announced plans to close the facility before leaving. But with those cleared for release still waiting for a country to take them in, the chances that the prison closes before Jan. 20 are dwindling.
Among those still being held in Guantánamo Bay are suspects accused of planning and carrying out the attacks on 9/11. That includes detainees whose evidence against them was obtained through torture while in the custody of the CIA.
