Another Troubling Aspect of Biden’s Legacy: The Release of More Gitmo Prisoners Posing Global Threats

Twenty-three years after the 9/11 attacks in New York City, newly released US intelligence documents indicate that 234 “rehabilitated” former Guantanamo Bay detainees have reverted to terrorism, resulting in a concerning 32% recidivism rate. Many of these individuals remain at large and have not been recaptured.

Despite this, outgoing President Biden is discreetly continuing to release more high-risk terrorist suspects from Guantanamo Bay, fulfilling a long-standing promise made by his predecessor Barack Obama to close the facility in Cuba permanently.

Upon assuming office, Biden reversed former President Trump’s executive order that aimed to keep Guantanamo open and is working towards transferring more inmates, with an ultimate goal of emptying the facility. This is concerning, as the remaining detainees are regarded by military intelligence as among the most dangerous and have been classified as too risky for release.

Earlier this month, the outgoing president released 11 Yemeni detainees, all known al-Qaeda terrorists, including two of Osama bin Laden’s bodyguards, reducing the number of detainees to 15. They were sent to Oman, where it has been stated they will be monitored, rehabilitated, and expected to live peaceful lives.

However, some of Oman’s counterterrorism measures were “postponed or canceled” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and according to the State Department’s recent country report, Oman’s initiatives to combat violent extremism remain vague in 2023. The report also noted that Oman has “limited resources” and needs to enhance its counterterrorism capabilities.

Additionally, Oman’s remote and poorly regulated borders with Saudi Arabia and Yemen pose significant challenges for counterterrorism, as highlighted in the report.

One of the bodyguards released by Biden, Sana Ali Yislam al-Kazimi, was identified as a “facilitator for the Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch,” according to a declassified military dossier, raising concerns he could return to his previous role across the border.

Just six months prior, Oman relinquished 28 other Gitmo detainees it had pledged to rehabilitate as part of an agreement with Obama. They were stripped of their citizenship and sent across the border to Yemen, known for being a terrorist haven.

Perhaps the need for space for Biden’s 11 new parolees outweighed other considerations. This group includes unrepentant al-Qaeda operative Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, tied to the 9/11 planners and known for expressing an unsettling fascination with the attack footage while in captivity, prompting demands for “robust security assurances” from Oman.

Alternatively, officials in Muscat might see these former detainees as a domestic security threat and prefer to offload them rather than reintegrate them into society.

“Anyone who believes they will be rehabilitated is likely ignoring previous instances of detainees returning to violence,” observed ret. Army Lt. Col. Brian F. Sullivan, a former FAA special agent specializing in counterterrorism.

Biden’s actions are far from over, with three additional Gitmo detainees cleared for release, including an “explosives expert who trained al-Qaeda members and provided operational support to key al-Qaeda figures” and “a central member of the al-Qaeda network in Somalia,” according to documents from the Gitmo parole board reviewed by The Post.

Moreover, an additional three detainees are pending review by the parole board, including Abu Zubaydah, “one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted aides,” as detailed in his Gitmo dossier. Congress must be notified 30 days before Zubaydah’s release, giving Republicans a window to voice any opposition.

Even detainees not being released are evading justice, as 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is avoiding the death penalty through a sweetheart plea deal and will only serve life behind bars.

These “forever” detainees have been indicted in the military court system. Biden aims to transfer them as well, though legislation currently prohibits their relocation to US facilities. Trump has expressed his commitment to keeping Guantanamo operational.

Biden is determined to clear out the prison despite being thoroughly informed by intelligence agencies that one in three released detainees have returned to hostilities against America — with some even committing more acts of violence.

“Based on historical patterns over the last two decades, we anticipate that some detainees currently at GTMO will strive to re-engage in terrorist or insurgent behaviors after their transfer,” cautioned a recent US intelligence report.

A June 2024 declassified report from the Office of National Intelligence indicated that out of 733 detainees released from Gitmo, 234 had returned to terrorist activities, engaging in planning and executing attacks as well as recruiting and financially supporting terrorism. This results in a recidivism rate of 31.9%. The rate would likely be even higher if the US intelligence community included anti-US propaganda or statements in the definition of “terrorist activities.”

Detainees have reached out to the Biden administration through sympathetic pro bono defense attorneys to advocate for their release. They assert that their previously violent clients have changed due to “yoga classes” and other rehabilitative prison programs and express a desire to return home to support their ailing mothers or revive their family businesses.

Several terrorists have presented the same tale to the review board, as detailed by The Post previously. In response to these revelations, the Pentagon has now removed detainees’ statements and hearing transcripts from the review board website, claiming their removal was at the detainees’ request; however, these records have vanished from all detainee files.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured that all released detainees “underwent a thorough review,” although the public now lacks visibility into that process.

Even more astonishingly, the administration concedes that relocating terrorists to Islamic nations like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan has failed to prevent their return to violent behavior. The 2024 ODNI report states that “former GTMO detainees frequently communicate with members of terrorist organizations.”

“Certain detainees motivated to re-engage have done so and will continue regardless of any conditional transfer,” the report continues.

Detainees previously repatriated to Afghanistan are now under the oversight of the Taliban, who regained control of Kabul in late 2021 (due to Biden’s ill-fated troop withdrawal) and are once again harboring al-Qaeda leaders, likely reuniting them with Gitmo alumni and potentially planning another 9/11.

“The individuals Biden is dispatching to Oman will be no different,” remarked ret. Army Capt. Sam Faddis, a former CIA operations officer who served in the Middle East. “We will likely see them on the battlefield again soon.”

He added, “Considering the open-border policies of the Biden administration and the extent of infiltration by terrorist networks, that battlefield may very well be within our own borders.”

Paul Sperry is a senior reporter for RealClearInvestigations and the author of the bestseller “Infiltration.” Follow him on X: @paulsperry_