JEDDAH, 7 November 2005 — Saudi Majed Afas Al-Shammari, who was released from the notorious US detention camp in Guantanamo and arrived in the Kingdom on Saturday, will meet members of his family in Riyadh today, according to his brother Saif. “Our family is very happy over his release,” Saif, who works as an army officer, told Arab News by telephone from Rafah.
“We are three brothers and seven sisters. We’ll be meeting Majed along with our mother and Majed’s wife and daughters. It will be a great happy moment as we are meeting him after a break of five years,” Saif said.
The Shammari family were happy on the release and return of Majed from Guantanamo, where US authorities are still holding 120 Saudis among some 600 inmates from around the world since 2002.
The detention camp in Guantanamo was opened shortly after the US-led war in Afghanistan began in late 2001.
Saif said his brother Majed had only primary education and worked for the Kuwaiti Army from 1992 to 2000. “When he lost that job he became depressed as he did not know how to meet the daily expenses of his family,” he explained.
Majed later traveled to Afghanistan, where he was arrested and then taken to Guantanamo by US authorities. He thanked the government for providing the family all facilities to meet with Majed in Riyadh.
Majed has two daughters — Raghed and Hajer. Raghed is studying in a primary school while Hajer has just completed five years. They are presently staying with their mother’s father in Rafah. Majed, 33, lives in Qaisuma, east of Hafr Al-Baten.
