On the same day Obama announced that he was closing Guantanamo, this arrest in Spain reminded us of why that is a bad idea. “Former Guantanamo detainee among 4 arrested in Spain, Morocco for Islamic State ties,” by Alan Clendenning and Ciaran Giles, Associated Press, February 23, 2016: MADRID — Spanish and Moroccan police on […]
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: War Is Over, Prison Camp Closes
In FrontPage today I discuss how Obama’s closing of Guantanamo shows again that he doesn’t even believe we’re in a war. Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he was finally fulfilling one of his foremost campaign promises and closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Usually the closing of a prison camp for enemy combatants signals the […]
Freed Gitmo detainee emerges as prominent al-Qaeda leader
Obama replenished the enemy ranks. “Freed Gitmo detainee, ex-bin Laden aide cements place as top jihadist in videos,” Fox News, February 17, 2016: When Ibrahim al Qosi was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2012, a lawyer for the former Usama bin Laden aide said he looked forward to living a life of peace in his […]
Obama releases al Qaeda bomb expert from Guantánamo
There you go worrying again. Don’t you know by now that Barack Obama and John Kerry have the mystical power to do an unlimited number of reckless things and not ever suffer any of the consequences? “Pentagon releases al Qaeda bomb expert from Guantánamo,” by Kristina Wong, The Hill, January 21, 2016: The Pentagon on […]
Freed Guantánamo convict now jihad leader in Yemen
The obvious solution, as far as the Obama Administration is concerned: free more of them. “Freed Guantánamo convict returns to the fight,” by Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald, December 14, 2015: A former Guantánamo detainee who was released to Sudan after a war court guilty plea has emerged in a key position in Al-Qaida of the […]
Belgium arrests two ex-Guantanamo inmates on jihad terrorism charges
Gitmo recidivism shouldn’t surprise anyone. Absolutely nothing was done at Guantanamo to disabuse the inmates of their jihadist beliefs. On the contrary, the Qur’an was treated with the utmost respect by the Infidel guards, who didn’t even defile it with their Infidel hands, but handled it only with gloves. That and more only reinforced the […]
Canada: Judge orders release of ex-Guantanamo detainee who killed GI
What could possibly go wrong? “Canadian judge orders release of ex-Guantanamo detainee who killed GI,” by Charmaine Noronha, Associated Press, April 24, 2015: TORONTO — A Canadian judge on Friday ordered the release of a former Guantanamo Bay inmate while he appeals his conviction in a Washington court for war crimes, including killing a U.S. […]
Over 100 freed Gitmo detainees have returned to jihad
This is not surprising, since absolutely nothing was done at Guantanamo to disabuse these men of the beliefs that led them to wage jihad in the first place. Any such action would have been “Islamophobic.” And so the Qur’an, the book that inspired the actions that landed them in Guantanamo in the first place, is […]
Gitmo detainee swapped for Bergdahl returns to jihad
We warned that this would happen. But everyone knew it was “Islamophobic” to think such a thing. Anyway, now we have a man who is probably going to be tried for desertion in exchange for at least one jihadist who will try to kill more Americans. And the other four will probably also rejoin the […]
Freed Gitmo detainee opens Islamic State base in Afghanistan
And Obama just keeps freeing more. These men are seasoned, trained, battle-hardened jihadis. What are they going to do, open a deli? “Freed Gitmo Captive Opens ISIS Base in Afghanistan,” Judicial Watch, January 15, 2015: As President Obama frees droves of terrorists—including five Yemenis this week—from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo news reports confirm […]
Obama releases five more Gitmo detainees
It’s OK. One of them is not a “veteran terrorist”; he’s just “a chef who was trying to find a better life.” “What’s good in this place?” “Try the IED’s, sir. They’re to die for.” “Five Guantanamo prisoners held for a dozen years are released and resettled in Kazakhstan,” by Dan Bloom, Daily Mail, December […]
US government offering $5M reward for jihadi freed from Gitmo
Those who advocate for the closing of Guantanamo have never dealt with the problem of recidivism. So many former Gitmo inmates have returned to the jihad. More will join them. More non-Muslims will be killed. Does this matter to “human rights campaigners”? Note also that al-Rubaysh is a graduate of the Saudi program to “rehabilitate” […]
Obama releases four more jihadis from Guantanamo, returns them to Afghanistan
“The Obama administration has released the four on the basis that charges cannot be brought against them and that it is possible to reintegrate the individuals back into society following the detention.” What will they do? Buy farms? Open restaurants? Isn’t it more likely that they will return to the trade they know — jihad? […]
Qatar broke promise with US, allowed Gitmo detainee to leave the country
Relying on allies that aren’t allies is yet another consequence of the Washington establishment’s determined refusal to face the realities of the jihad, and to formulate policy based on those realities. “Qatar ‘broke promise to US over Guantanamo detainee,’” by David Blair, the Telegraph, December 12, 2014 (thanks to Lookmann): Qatar broke an “explicit” promise […]
20 to 30 former Guantanamo detainees suspected of joining the Islamic State, other jihad groups
This is not surprising, since absolutely nothing was done at Guantanamo to disabuse these men of the beliefs that led them to wage jihad in the first place. Any such action would have been “Islamophobic.” “Sources: Former Guantanamo detainees suspected of joining ISIS, other groups in Syria,” by Justin Fishel and Jennifer Griffin, FoxNews.com, October […]
UK: Ex-Gitmo detainee and Leftist media darling Moazzam Begg charged with terrorism, attending Islamic State training camp
Thomas Joscelyn noted in the Weekly Standard in 2011: “Moazzam Begg and his organization, Cageprisoners, have proselytized on behalf of al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki and spread jihadist propaganda….Moazzam Begg’s own book confirms he is a jihadist….The Department of Justice’s investigation failed to substantiate Begg’s claims of torture, and found that his damning confession […]
Spain raids jihadist cell “led by ex-Guantanamo inmate” and recruiting for ISIS
This jihadist recruitment network is led by a former Guantanamo Bay inmate. And so yet again we see the folly of the Obama policy of emptying out Gitmo while doing nothing to protect non-Muslims from the jihad that these men were certain to return to waging. “Spain raids jihadist cell ‘led by ex-Guantanamo inmate,’” AFP, […]
Obama to free Gitmo jihad terrorist because “he took up yoga and read a biography of the Dalai Lama”
Essentially this amounts to freeing jihad terrorists who are determined to kill Americans and sending them back to a place where they can kill Americans, with no consequences and no supervision. What could possibly go wrong? “Obama to free Gitmo terrorist ‘because he took up yoga,’” by Paul Sperry, New York Post, June 7, 2014: […]
Obama passed up chances to rescue Bergdahl because he wanted prisoner trade to empty Gitmo
Placing his political agenda above the lives of those Americans who are going to be killed in Afghanistan by these freed Gitmo detainees. Placing his political agenda above the lives of those Americans who were killed searching for the traitor and deserter Bergdahl. Placing his political agenda yet again above national security. One might almost […]
Former Guantanamo detainee implicated in Benghazi attack
Will the hard-Left lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith, who assured authorities that other Gitmo detainees deemed dangerous were actually harmless, have any comment on this? (I knew Clive slightly when we were both students at the University of North Carolina; Clive, if you’re reading this, send me an email at director[at]jihadwatch.org: I’d love to interview you about Abu […]