WASHINGTON: The Obama administration came under fire Thursday over the disappearance of a former Guantanamo Bay inmate in Uruguay, as Republican lawmakers voiced fears he and others freed from the military prison could again threaten America.
Jihad Diyab — a 44-year-old Syrian who was resettled in Uruguay in 2014 along with five other ex-detainees — went off the South American country’s radar several weeks ago after apparently evading border controls and crossing into Brazil.
The disappearance has sharpened US debate over President Barack Obama administration’s push to resettle other detainees, especially amid security concerns as the Olympics are set to kick off in Rio de Janeiro in August.
“That’s a heck of a terrorist target, folks,” said Republican representative Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, who said Diyab was a “forger for Al-Qaeda” who might be helping others to fake documents that would enable passage to the US.
Lee Wolosky, the US special envoy for Guantanamo closure, admitted to lawmakers at a House hearing: “I would have preferred that he stayed in Uruguay with the five other detainees through the end of the program, which was for another few months.”
Before he leaves office in January, Obama hopes to resettle 29 of the 79 current Guantanamo detainees, all of whom have been deemed eligible for transfer. The remaining 50 have been deemed not eligible.
Obama admin under fire after ex-Gitmo inmate disappears
Obama admin under fire after ex-Gitmo inmate disappears
