An Al Qaeda operative incarcerated at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo has confirmed what Judicial Watch has been reporting for years, that a Saudi Arabian “rehabilitation” program that supposedly reforms jihadists is really a terrorist training camp. The U.S. has released dozens of Gitmo captives to the comical jihadist rehab and earlier this year considered sending another, senior Al Qaeda boss Ghassan Abdullah al-Sharbi, a dangerous Saudi national with a U.S. college education.
During a hearing before President Obama’s Gitmo parole board, al-Sharbi said “you guys want to send me back to Saudi Arabia because you believe there is a de-radicalization program on the surface, true. You are 100 percent right, there is a strong externally…a strong de-radicalization program, but make no mistake, underneath there is a hidden radicalization program.” The testimony was delivered months ago, but was recently declassified by the Department of Defense (DOD), which maintains that al-Sharbi is a committed jihadist and threat to the U.S., its interests and allies. The panel denied al-Sharbi’s petition for release, but has granted many others recently.
In his quest to clear out the prison and close it, Obama has embarked on a frenzy releasing droves of terrorists jailed at the U.S. Naval base in southeastern Cuba. More than 100, including Osama bin Laden’s bodyguards, have been released to the Saudi rehab program, officially known as the Prince Mohammed bin Naif Counseling and Care Center. It specializes in “spreading the concept of moderateness and rejecting immoderate way of thinking” by using art therapy, video games, exercise and sports to de-radicalize terrorists. Obama has praised the bogus Saudi terrorist rehab program, even though the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency disclosed years ago that many of the Gitmo detainees who rejoin terrorist missions after leaving the military prison returned to “the fight” after graduating from Saudi rehab.
Among them is Al Qaeda leader Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, the poster child for the Saudi rehab’s failures. Years after releasing al-Rubaysh from Gitmo, the U.S. offered a $5 million reward for information on the whereabouts of the Saudi rehab grad. The State Department coined the “senior leader” of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, revealing that “he serves as a senior advisor for AQAP operational planning and is involved in the planning of attacks.” Judicial Watch reported this two years ago, citing the State Department announcement describing al-Rubaysh as a senior AQAP sharia official since 2013 who has made public statements calling on Muslims to wage war against the United States. Many others have returned to terrorism after completing terrorist reform school.
This hasn’t deterred Obama from sending more Gitmo terrorists to the laughable de-radicalization program. Earlier this year the administration transferred nine Yemeni captives to Saudi Arabia and just a few weeks ago it approved the transfer of an Al Qaeda bomb maker, Jabran al Qahtani, that U.S. authorities believe will reengage in terrorism. The president’s Gitmo parole panel, officially known as the Periodic Review Board (PRB), specifically mentions the Mohammed bin Naif Counseling and Care Center in its final determination to transfer al Qahtani and states its “confidence in the efficacy of the Saudi rehabilitation program.” Al Qahtani’s “credible desire to participate in the Saudi rehabilitation program and reintegrate into society” also played a role in the parole board’s decision to release him. The PRB found that “the risk the detainee presents can be adequately mitigated by transfer for prosecution and rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia.”
Though al-Sharbi will remain at Gitmo, the fact remains that he disclosed damaging information about a fake Middle Eastern reform program the administration has used to free a multitude of dangerous terrorists. Based on his DOD file, al-Sharibi shouldn’t have even been considered for transfer. With a degree in electrical engineering from an Arizona college, al-Sharibi operated within the United States organizing sophisticated terrorist cells and conducting educational directives involved with mission planning. He has attended an Al Qaeda training camp and was selected by the terrorist group to a receive a special remote control detonation training to carry out attacks on U.S. forces, his DOD file states. “Detainee has demonstrated a commitment to jihad, has links to key facilitators in the Al-Qaida international terrorist network, and has participated in terrorist training,” according to the defense assessment, which also says al-Sharibi poses a high risk to western interests.
