al-Shihri becomes the next of at least 60 former detainees who have returned to their terrorism roots. And people want to close Guantanamo…
Ex-Guantanamo detainee becomes No. 2 for al-Qaeda in Yemen
CBC NewsA Saudi man who was detained at the U.S. detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for six years has now become the second-in-command for al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, according to an online statement allegedly by the group.
The statement, which appeared on a website commonly used by militants purportedly from al-Qaeda, says Said al-Shihri has joined the branch known as “al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula” and is now the group’s No. 2.
Al-Shihri, 35, ended up in U.S. custody after he was hospitalized for more than a month for injuries suffered during an air strike in December 2001. He was one of the first detainees sent to the controversial detention centre set up by the George W. Bush administration in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
The detainee was released from the detention centre in November 2007 and transferred to Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. Department of Defence documents. After that, he apparently travelled to Yemen.