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 Ghaleb Nassar al-Bihani, a 34- or 35-year-old Yemeni, is suspected
of having fought in Afghanistan for the al Qaeda extremist group,
according to a U.S. Defense Department prisoner profile. The U.S.
military is unsure of his exact age.
Bihani's hearing before the Periodic Review Board is to re-examine
whether he should still be held without charge at Guantanamo Bay,
the U.S. military prison in Cuba, or be transferred, possibly home
to Yemen.
The review board is designed to help close the prison. About 70 of
the 154 inmates cannot be prosecuted for various reasons, but are
considered too dangerous to release.
Al-Bihani was captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay in January 2002,
the profile said. He has been a "problematic" prisoner, having
incited or taken part in protests and committed breaches of
discipline.
One of his brothers is a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula, and six of his brothers fought in Afghanistan. His family
likely would pull him back into extremism if he returned to Yemen,
the profile said.
A personal representative for al-Bihani from the U.S. military said
in a hearing statement that he had been a cook in Afghanistan and
fell short of being a threat to the United States.
His lawyer, Pardiss Kebriaei, said in a statement that al-Bihani had
chronic health problems and was willing to return to Yemen or Saudi
Arabia. But he preferred to be sent to a third country, such as
Qatar, Spain or in Latin America, the lawyer said.
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The Periodic Review Board was set up in October. It has heard three
cases involving suspected Yemeni bodyguards to Osama bin Laden, an
al Qaeda founder killed by U.S. commandos in 2011.
It has ruled one man eligible to be sent back to Yemen and said a
second should continue to be held. The panel has not decided the
third case.
The board's hearings are carried via closed-circuit television to a
viewing site near the Pentagon.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; editing by Scott Malone and James Dalgleish)
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