First Guantanamo prisoner sent to home country in Biden policy shift
- Abdullatif Nasser was cleared for repatriation by a review board in 2016 but remained at Guantanamo under President Trump
- The US State Department says the Biden administration will continue ‘a deliberate and thorough process’ to reduce the detainee population at Guantanamo
The Biden administration on Monday transferred a Guantanamo Bay detainee to his home country for the first time, a policy shift from the Trump presidency that repatriated a Moroccan man years after he was recommended for discharge.
The prisoner, Abdullatif Nasser, who is in his mid-50s, was cleared for repatriation by a review board in July 2016 but remained at Guantanamo under President Donald Trump.
In announcing his transfer on Monday, the Pentagon cited the board’s determination that Nasser’s detention was no longer necessary to protect US national security.
Nasser, also known as Abdul Latif Nasser, arrived on Monday in Morocco, where police took him into custody and said they would investigate him on suspicion of committing terrorist acts – even though he was never charged while in Guantanamo.
The State Department said in a statement the Biden administration would continue “a deliberate and thorough process” to reduce the detainee population at Guantanamo “while also safeguarding the security of the United States and its allies”.
