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Washington
–
U.S.
Senators
Tim
Scott
(R-SC),
Pat
Roberts
(R-KS)
and
Cory
Gardner
(R-CO)
released
the
following
statements
regarding
reports
that
a
former
detainee
at
Guantanamo
Bay,
Ibrahim
al-Qosi,
has
become
a
senior
leader
of
al
Qaeda
in
the
Arabian
Peninsula
(AQAP).
Al-Qosi,
transferred
from
Guantanamo
to
his
native
Sudan
in
2012,
appears
in
a
video
released
this
week
by
AQAP
that
encourages
small
cell
terror
attacks
in
the
West.
“As
the
President
rushes
to
transfer
detainees
out
of
Guantanamo
Bay,
we
have
been
given
a
clear
picture
of
exactly
the
type
of
terrorist
he
is
talking
about
releasing,”
Scott
said.
“These
terrorists
want
another
San
Bernardino,
another
Paris,
and
by
basing
his
national
security
policies
on
a
political
promise
to
close
Guantanamo,
I
fear
the
President
is
only
increasing
the
danger
to
our
nation
and
our
people.
Guantanamo
is
the
perfect
place
to
hold
some
of
the
world’s
most
dangerous
terrorists,
and
any
effort
to
close
the
facility
and
move
the
remaining
detainees
to
domestic
soil
will
be
met
with
fierce
opposition
in
Congress
and
among
the
American
people.”
“Just
seven
days
after
the
terrorist
attack
in
San
Bernardino
and
at
a
time
when
our
nation
is
vulnerable
to
both
home
grown
threats
and
those
from
abroad,
I
see
no
reason
to
add
to
these
security
concerns
by
placing
terrorists
currently
held
at
Guantanamo
in
American
communities,”
Roberts
said.
“As
we
were
reminded
with
these
attacks,
we
are
still
very
much
at
war
with
terrorism.
Guantanamo
should
remain
open
and
we
should
not
underestimate
the
zeal
of
these
terrorists
to
return
to
the
battlefield.
Look
no
further
than
former
Guantanamo
detainee,
Ibrahim
al-Qosi.”
Senator
Gardner
said,
“The
President’s
rush
to
empty
the
cells
at
Guantanamo
recklessly
endangers
our
national
interests
abroad
and
our
safety
here
at
home.
This
news
confirms
what
we’ve
known
all
along:
Guantanamo
Bay
houses
some
of
the
world’s
deadliest
terrorists,
and
the
secure
facility
at
Guantanamo
is
exactly
where
they
belong.
They
do
not
belong
back
on
the
battlefield
fighting
against
us,
nor
do
they
belong
on
U.S.
soil.
It’s
time
for
the
President
to
recognize
that
simple
fact,
which
is
already
enshrined
in
U.S.
law."
In
November,
86
percent
of
the
House
and
Senate
voted
for
legislation
that
bars
the
transfer
of
Guantanamo
detainees
to
domestic
soil.
The
White
House
has
repeatedly
stated
their
desire
for
Congress
to
“get
out
of
the
way”
and
let
them
close
Guantanamo,
regardless
of
the
30
percent
recidivism
rate
among
released
detainees,
the
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars
it
will
cost
to
construct
a
new
facility,
and
the
fact
that
opening
domestic
facility
would
place
a
bright
red
bulls
eye
on
an
American
community.
The
Administration
has
already
surveyed
sites
in
South
Carolina,
Kansas,
and
Colorado
as
potential
replacements
for
Guantanamo.
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