Among the five are Adel Al-Hakeemy (top row, left), who campaigners said was a chef who was trying to find a better life when he was kidnapped in the aftermath of 9/11, and Sabri Mohammad al Qurashi (top row right) and Adel Al-Hakeemy (middle top row).
The Department of Defense announced yesterday the transfer of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba. Two Tunisian and three Yemeni detainees
The Pentagon identified the Tunisian nationals transferred Tuesday as Adel Al-Hakeemy, and Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Lufti.
The three Yemenis who were transferred were identified as Asim Thabit Abdullah Al-Khalaqi, Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna and Sabri Muhammad Ibrahim Al Qurashi.
All five were captured in Pakistan and are now in their late 30s and 40s. One, Tunisian Abdallah Bin Ali al Lufti, has a chronic heart condition. Another, Adel Al-Hakeemy, insisted he was just working as a chef. He was described however by U.S. authorities as a ‘veteran terrorist’ who had allegedly taken part in fighting in Bosnia and was accused of links with an Algerian Islamist group. One man Lufti was accused of links to Tunisian militants when he lived in Italy in the 1990s.
Khalaqi, 46, had been implicated by John Walker Lindh, an American captured in late 2001 working with the Taliban, as having fought with al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The men were all captured in Pakistan in the aftermath of 9/11 and accused of links to terror groups including Al-Qaeda and other know terrorist organizations.
“As directed by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of this case. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force”, according top the Pentagon.
In accordance with statutory requirements, the secretary of defense informed Congress of the United States’ intent to transfer these individuals and of his determination that this transfer meets the statutory standard.
were flown on a U.S. military aircraft, arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday at 11:15 pm Washington time (4.15am GMT).
The United States coordinated with the Government of Kazakhstan to ensure these transfers took place “consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures.”
Today, 127 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
See related video: ABC News-US Releases 5 Guantanamo Prisoners, Sends Them to Kazakhstan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIJh7VhgnNU