Gitmo Detainee Mohamed Released to UK
EmailAs we reported last week, the Obama administration transferred Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed to British custody Sunday night. All terrorism-related charges against Mohamed were dropped in 2007.
Many military families called the White House about this Friday night, upset at the news.
Here’s the official release (note that it comes from the Department of Justice, rather than from the Pentagon):
"UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"UNITED STATES TRANSFERS BINYAM MOHAMMED TO UNITED KINGDOM
"WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced the transfer to the United Kingdom of Binyam Mohammed, an Ethiopian national and former resident of the United Kingdom who had been held at the Guantanamo detention facility since 2004.
"As directed by the Executive Order issued by President Obama on January 22, 2009, an interagency panel has reviewed Mohammed’s case and determined that his transfer, pursuant to an arrangement between the United States and the United Kingdom, is consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice.
“’The friendship and assistance of the international community is vitally important as we work to close Guantanamo, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of the British government to work with us on the transfer of Binyam Mohammed,’ said Attorney General Eric Holder.
"Mohammed is the first Guantanamo detainee to be transferred under the review of all Guantanamo detainees directed by the President. He departed Guantanamo aboard a United Kingdom aircraft Sunday night and arrived in the United Kingdom today."
- jpt
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In the interest of Justice… speaks volumes. It is my hope that others do not have to find out the hard way the Wisdom of the concept: “nor cruel or unusual punishments INFLICTED.” A Constitutional concept that all soldiers and elected officals swear to hold and protect.
Posted by: Spartan Phoenix777 | February 23, 2009, 10:15 am 10:15 am
If the Bushies had a single particle of reliable evidence against this guy, do you think they would have dropped the charges??? He is just another one of the thousands of people rounded up to help the Bushies look “tough” on terrorism, a lot like the white sheriff rounds up a bunch of black men after a crime to show he’s on the ball. Gitmo will go down in history as a major violation of human rights.
Posted by: AlChemist | February 23, 2009, 10:22 am 10:22 am
The Bush administration threatened to curtail it’s collaborative counterterrorism operations with the British if a 5 page report on B. Mohamed’s extradition and torture were released. I wonder if the threat has been or will be rescinded.
Posted by: kat the real one | February 23, 2009, 11:35 am 11:35 am
This is a travesty. This man had plans to blow up blocks of apartment buildings in the US and side by side with convicted terrorist Jose Padilla, was deeply involved in a “dirty bomb” plot.
There is no doubt this man will return to his terrorist activities and has a history of having the skills and propensity to carry out a violent attack in the US.
Hopefully those that ordered his release will be in that vicinity instead of my family. It is so easy to order a very active terrorist released when you and your family have a guaranteed lifetime of special protections.
Lets put everyone’s kids in play. Live with the risk inherent in your misguided principles Obama. Don’t kill my family with your irresponsible, academic exercise, anti-american, ignorant and inexperienced approach to your presidency.
If Obama will release this man anyone can be set free. He already dropped charges against the terrorists who planned the deadly bombing of the USS Cole, while they were in trial.
I have to ask myself just how off center is Obama’s way of thinking? Just how much does he wish the destruction of the US.
I have not forgotten his cursory attendance at the 9/11 Memorial last september when the video we saw over and over showed him tossing his rose on the memorial like a piece of trash. Michelle did not even bother to show up, while claiming she was home to help kids through first week of school, she still managed to travel to Indiana and make speeches instead.
They are a very troubling pair who have yet to speak out against the 9/11 destruction, and lest us not forget that their 20years long pastor, Rev. Wright blamed the US for policies “coming home to roost”. Very troubling all around.
Posted by: Sick of BO BS | February 23, 2009, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
“This man had plans to blow up blocks of apartment buildings in the US and side by side with convicted terrorist Jose Padilla…”
Really? Then why did the Bush administration drop all charges against him in 2007? Don’t you want the answer to that question?
Posted by: Lisa | February 23, 2009, 1:08 pm 1:08 pm
As an unrepentant neocon, I’d like to take another tack, neither fearing or pitying this fool but mocking our dear Benji, excuse me now the Brit’s dear Benji. (However since the censors seem to take it badly that I wish him ill, I edit now and you make the inferences)
First, he chose this life of jihad – that is incontrovertible.
So for him to get silly activist lawyers to sue airplane companies to get them to release national security information (Mohmammed vs Jeppesen) was an unexpected pleasure to what I admit has been a stressful time for him. After all he wanted to become a martyr – boom boom and you’re gone, along with hopefully some of the dreaded infidels or traitors. Tell the nice men in suits that you had tic tac toe played on you on a sensitive spot , has it healed?, and that even though you got free flights and free accomodations you don’t like your travel agent AT ALL!!
So now our little Benji travels home, though it can’t be really be home, at least until all the blighter infidels understand they’re dhimmis. He has been a hunger striker, and we’ve abused his “dignity” even more by forced tube-feeding — Will he go back to eating now that he can get bangers and mash with a side of black pudding??!!
And if he escapes Mr. Brown’s tender mercies, he’ll still be a broken man. Which I think is good!! – good for nothing but perhaps a suicide bomber dressing up in a hijab in the middle of some market. But knowing your luck…. oh well. Mohammed, say hello to the Big Guy for me.
Posted by: robert b | February 23, 2009, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
Lisa “This man had plans to blow up blocks of apartment buildings in the US and side by side with convicted terrorist Jose Padilla…”
Really? Then why did the Bush administration drop all charges against him in 2007? Don’t you want the answer to that question?”
I am sure I don’t know the specific reason that charges were dropped at any point for any terrorist. I do believe in the intent of the Bush administration to keep us safe. 2/3 of the detainees have been released. Any detainee who was cleared was long gone. There is no political or other benefit inherent in holding someone who is not dangerous.
I can only guess by trying to interpret the words of this terrorist himself who admits to having confessed to these plots, later claiming while under duress. There have been so many plainly false claims of torture, claims that have been refuted by international agencies and most recently in a report from the Obama administration, which was not circulated very widely.
I can only infer from his (the terrorists) own statements that he did confess and I also infer from the Obama report that all conditions at Gitmo met that of the Geneva convention. Perhaps they had no ability to prove charges in court but knew enough through this mans own words and other documented supporting anecdotal evidence such as his training with Padilla in a terrorist camp, that they kept him in place to protect our lives.
That others infer ill will on the part of the Bush administration, and profess undying concern for the terrorists rights, those who proudly behead their captives, following real torture, is wholly inexplicable to me and is something we will likely all come to regret and pay for.
Posted by: Sick of BO BS | February 23, 2009, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm
There are innumerable reasons why charges can be dropped against criminal defendants notwithstanding abundant evidence of their guilt. And it frequently happens under circumstances that preclude public explanation.
Since every jihadist who when through Al Qaeda training has been taught to make false allegations of mistreatment, I have no idea whether this fellow was tortured or not. I certainly hope so, however, and if he returns to his jihadist ways I pray that he will be captured and tortured again, pour encourager les autres.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | February 23, 2009, 2:52 pm 2:52 pm
God save the Queen. And by that, I, of course, mean Eddy Izzard. Seriously, I hope our friends in Britain are safe. I don’t know what to think of the Obama administration. They don’t seem to know what they are doing.
Posted by: Minnie | February 23, 2009, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
It appears that we still have some dopes here who think it is necessary to charge a detainee in order to hold him. It is not, as Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder have made abundantly clear. A jihadist can be held indefinitely without charge, and many are currently being held by the Obama administration. Some are in Guantanamo Bay; many more are in Iraq and at Bagram in Afghanistan. They have not been charged with any crime, and indeed may not have committed any crime. Under international and US law, if it is determined by a competent tribunal that they are unlawful combatants, they may be held for the duration of the hostilities.
As for the Bush administration wanting to look tough, it looked sufficiently tough after 9/11 that there has not been a single attack on American soil since then. And in the meantime, the US and its Iraqi allies have won the war that Al Qaeda declared the central front in the jihad against the West.
One can only hope that the incumbent crop of amateurs enjoys similar success. It is at least gratifying that they are holding these dogs in confinement without bothering with any ridiculous trials. (Trials would be a “distraction.”)
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | February 23, 2009, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
The Obama administration “knows what they are doing” – determined to dump the contents of Gitmo – somewhere!! Hopefully! – “consistent with the national security …and the interests of justice” means we can trust Mr. Brown to keep Benji in “the Tower” for awhile (keep him away from the jewels).
Did you notice the 80 or so Yemenese guests have NOT got their exit visas yet?? Is there a problem with that being “consistent with the national security …and the interests of justice” in delivering terrorist alumni there? Well, yeah.
One more thing for both side on this issue of Benji’s charges – actionable intelligence on operations and structure is the Chief Reason for Gitmo and interrogation. Having them get their day in court is frankly secondary.
Posted by: robert b | February 23, 2009, 3:28 pm 3:28 pm
AlChemist – you argue from a false premise – no American citizen has been so treated – with the possible exception until he came stateside of Marin County Taliban – Johnny Walker Lindh – cause he got himself stuck in an Afghan prison until the riot that killed our CIA guy and a lot of our allies.
Before you start quoting Ben Franklin “He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither” STOP – the context was clearly that of American’s choice to stay under colonial oppression or strive on our own – NOT the protection of our own citizens by special procedures against terrorists.
Good Benji above would have made short shrift of Bad Benji. Benyam to Ben – give me liberty or give me death. Ben (in his best Clint Eastwood voice – if only) – OK, pow
Cmon comparing hospital deaths to terrorism. Where exactly were you when you were supposed to be in Logic class?
Posted by: robert b | February 23, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
I almost buy that Elmo is a flower child, navel gazing pacifist until he wants OUR guys to undergo what he doesn’t want terrorists to undergo to divulge operational information.
But we all appreciate Benji’s suffering.
For Benji to get silly activist lawyers to sue airplane companies to get them to release national security information was an unexpected pleasure to what I admit has been a stressful time for him. After all he wanted to become a martyr – boom boom and you’re gone.
But tell the nice men in suits that you had tic tac toe played on you on a sensitive spot.
So now our little Benji travels home, though it can’t be really be home, at least until all the blighter infidels understand they’re dhimmis. He has been a hunger striker, and we’ve abused his “dignity” even more by forced tube-feeding — Will he go back to eating now that he can get bangers and mash with a side of black pudding??!!
Posted by: robert b | February 23, 2009, 4:20 pm 4:20 pm
Robert b: YOU are the one who has flunked logic class if you argue we should be so concerned about terrorism, when the inarguable statistics show you are so much more in danger from dying from a medical mistake than from terrorism. Do you feel terrorist victims are more valuable and more deserving of mourning than someone who died because an incompetent or addicted doctor was allowed to continue to practice (because the medical boards are more concerned with preserving doctors’ careers than with the lives of citizens). With no Communists to scare us, Osama has become God’s gift to the Pentagon, helping them sow fear and thus boosting their budgets far beyond any logical level (we spend more on defense than ALL the other COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD COMBINED!)
Posted by: AlChemist | February 23, 2009, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm
I think that they are just clearing room at Gitmo for Rick Santelli.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | February 23, 2009, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
A non-sequitur’s a non-sequitur no matter how wonderful it would be to divert military spending into health care.
So Communists weren’t really a threat, either, just a scare tactic of the military industrial complex. OH, good, you did go to college classes after all – the sociology, “world and minority studies” and deconstructionist linguistics. Good for you. May I suggest advanced studies under Rev Wright??
Posted by: robert b | February 23, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
Terrorism doesn’t have to kill more people than AIDs or cancer, its purpose is to affect more people, to lessen our freedoms, to punish our way of life, to disrupt our economy, to divide us politically and make us fearful and nervous to carry on with our normal lives.
Death is only one consequence of terrorism.
Posted by: Potential | February 23, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
If this guy returns to the battlefield and kills or injures an American kid, somebody involved with his release should, at the very least go to jail.
Posted by: totally disgusted | February 23, 2009, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
Doesn’t anymone remember the words of the great Jack Nicholson (Colonel Jessup) on this issue? “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall.”
Posted by: Lone Star Rules | February 23, 2009, 11:19 pm 11:19 pm