After 20 years at Guantanamo, Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani transferred out of detention facility back to Saudi Arabia – By Ben Fox (Associated Press) / March 7, 2022
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center who was suspected of trying to join the 9/11 hijackers has been sent back to his home country for treatment for mental illness, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani was flown back to Saudi Arabia, to a treatment facility, from the U.S. base in Cuba after a review board including military and intelligence officials concluded he could be safely released after 20 years in custody.
The 46-year-old prisoner has suffered from mental illness, including schizophrenia, since childhood, according to medical examinations and records obtained by his lawyers. The U.S. dropped plans to try him after a Bush administration legal official concluded he had been tortured at Guantanamo.
With his release, there are now 38 prisoners left at the detention center. He is the second released under President Joe Biden, who has said he intends to close the facility.
