Libyan national cleared for Guantanamo release: reports

Libyan national Ismail Ali Faraj Ali Bakush has been cleared for transfer from Guantanamo bay after being held captive for 20 years, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to close the notorious detention centre.

Reporting by the New York Times revealed that Bakush, described in US intelligence dossiers as “an explosives expert”, can now be transferred to a third country who will accept his presence.

The Periodic Review Board, a group of senior government officials who preside over applications for release or parole from Guantanamo, recommended that Bakush be transferred to a third country with strong rehabilitation capabilities, integration support and “a willingness to monitor his activities and restrict his travel”.

Bakush was first apprehended by US forces in Lahore, Pakistan, and accused of being a member of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Libyan Islamic Fighting Group - designated as a terrorist organisation by the State Department. 

US intelligence reports detailing the active involvement of Guantanamo detainees in plots against American interests and assets have faced repeated challenges from legal teams and NGOs doubting the information they provide.

Several inmates of the Guantanamo prison have been held for two decades on the tenuous basis of positive identification gained during torture, as in the case of Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush (no relation) . 

Bakush’s clearance marks the start of increased efforts by the Biden administration to wind down the Guantanamo bay detention centre, by releasing all ‘low-threat’ inmates and transferring others to mainland prisons.