US releases Saudi inmate from Guantanamo

The Pentagon confirmed on Saturday that Muhammad al-Zahrani had been released from Guantanamo Bay and returned to his native Saudi Arabia. In a statement, it said that the former detainee had been approved for a transfer last month by a special review board which US President Barack Obama had created to speed up the closure of the controversial prison.

Al-Zahrani, now in his early forties, was held for 12 years in Guantanamo and was previously considered a "high risk" to American interests. The Periodic Review Board said in a report that the Saudi citizen travelled to Afghanistan in 1999, where he "almost certainly" joined al Qaeda and was trained in military tactics.

The board cleared Al-Zahrani's transfer in October after he expressed his readiness to participate in a rehabilitation program. The fighter's lawyers pleaded his case to the board, saying he "desperately" wanted to return to his home country and spend time with his ailing mother. Al-Zahrani's father died while his son was still in Guantanamo.

The al Qaeda suspect is the latest of seven prisoners to be freed over the last three weeks.

Paul Lewis, Special Envoy for Guantanamo Detention Closure, said in a statement on Saturday: "A total of 13 detainees have been transferred this year…This strikes a responsible balance and…follows a rigorous process in the interagency to review several items including security review prior to any transfer."

Officials have confirmed that more prisoners will be released in the following weeks as part of the President Obama's plan to close the detention center which still houses 142 suspected militants. Seventy-three of these have already been cleared for release.

mg/kms (AFP,AP)