Report: Bush Administration Released Two Al Qaeda Leaders Behind NW 253 Terror Plot
ABC News has a report that two of the Al Qaeda leaders behind the Christmas Day attack plot were released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007, and handed over to Saudi Arabia.
Where they underwent “art therapy,” and then were set free.
Our friends, the Saudis.
Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November, 2007, according to American officials and Department of Defense documents. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Northwest bombing in a Monday statement that vowed more attacks on Americans.
American officials agreed to send the two terrorists from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an “art therapy rehabilitation program” and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials.
Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody. Al-Harbi has since changed his name to Muhamad al-Awfi.
Please note: in 2007, the President of the United States was George W. Bush.
UPDATE at 12/28/09 5:37:00 pm:
I saw this coming over two years ago: Video: Saudi Terrorist Rehab.
Our friends the Saudis claim to be rehabilitating Islamic terrorists released from Guantanamo Bay, and here’s a clip from UK TV promoting that claim. (Do I sound skeptical?)
Here we see some of these poor misunderstood terrorists being rehabilitated with the magical healing power of art:
UPDATE at 12/28/09 6:03:37 pm:
I’ve been undecided on the issue of trying Gitmo detainees for a long time — but I’m now in favor of trying the Gitmo detainees in civilian court, throwing the book at them, and locking them up after they’ve been given due process, and convicted, and no one can complain any more.
And if they aren’t convicted, it’s because we didn’t have enough evidence to convict them.
I have a lot more faith in the American criminal justice system than I do in Saudi Arabia’s “art therapy” program.
