Ghassan al-Sharbi, a 48-year-old Saudi man suspected of links to al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization blamed for the September 11 attacks in the United States, has been released after 20 years in Guantanamo prison.
According to a statement from the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), it was decided in February 2022 that al-Sharbi did not pose a significant threat to US national security and that his continued detention was not necessary.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin notified Congress in September 2022 of his intention to return al-Sharbi to Saudi Arabia.
Detained in Pakistan in March 2002 and held at Guantanamo for 20 years without charge, al-Sharbi was suspected of training in bomb-making for al-Qaeda.
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While Ghassan al-Sharbi was sent to his country, on February 25, the US released two Pakistani brothers, Abdul and Muhammad Rabbani, who had been held at Guantanamo for more than 20 years.
Guantanamo is known for human rights violations
Former US President Barack Obama pledged to close Guantanamo Prison, where the United States held terrorism suspects captured and arrested abroad after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Obama last transferred detainees from Guantanamo in early January 2017, just before he handed over the reins to Donald Trump, leaving the prison with 40 detainees.
During his election campaign, Trump said he would not close the controversial detention center, which has also been the site of human rights abuses.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said at the daily press conference on February 12 that President Joe Biden’s administration planned to close Guantanamo Prison by the end of their four-year term.
