15 Saudis return home from Guantanamo

November 11, 2007 - 0:0

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi authorities received a group of 15 Saudis on Saturday from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the state-run news agency reported.

This latest transfer of detainees brings the number of Saudi nationals remaining in Guantanamo to 22, the Saudi Press Agency said. It quoted Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz as saying that those returned will be referred to Saudi courts. There were no details given about what charges the 15 may face in Saudi courts.
U.S. authorities' last transfer of Saudis from Guantanamo was in September when 16 were returned.
The detention of Saudis at the U.S. naval base in Cuba has been a source of tension with Riyadh, a close U.S. ally. Three Saudis have committed suicide inside the detention camp since it opened in 2002, according to the U.S. military.
Despite the close strategic relationship between the two countries, many citizens of Saudi Arabia have been actively involved in Islamist groups striking U.S. targets, including in Iraq and in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Of the 759 people who have been held at Guantanamo, 136 have been Saudis, the second-largest group after Afghan nationals, according to U.S. Defense Department documents released to The Associated Press.
About 340 detainees remain in Guantanamo on suspicion of links to terrorism, al-Qaida or the Taliban. Most have been held for years without being charged.