The Department of Justice announced Thursday evening that two detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison have been released to Algeria. The Algerian nationals, Hasan Zemiri and Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili, were returned to the Algerian government upon agreement of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Departments of Defense, State, Justice and Homeland Security. The attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day heightened congressional concern about returning detainees to countries such as Yemen that have problems with terrorist outfits and where those released from Gitmo could return to terrorist activity. Algeria has seen an increased terrorist presence in the past few years with the activities of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an officially al-Qaeda sanctioned affiliate that battles the Algerian government in order to forcibly establish an Islamic state as well as attacking European and American targets. Some analysts have expressed concern about AQIM's growing strength and potential to branch out into attacking overseas targets. The State Department requires U.S. Embassy personnel in Algeria to travel with security personnel and to limited locales. Eight detainees were transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Algeria under the Bush administration. The two transfers leave 196 detainees at Gitmo.
Two Gitmo detainees released to country with al-Qaeda presence
Saturday, 23 January 2010
- 01/22/10 01:34 PM ET
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