PrintBrazil can't seem to find former Gitmo terrorist
A former prisoner at the Guantanamo prison camp who was transferred to Uruguay as part of President Obama's effort to close the facility has gone missing in Brazil.
The Uruguayan government says that Abu Wa'el Dhiab, a Syrian who spent 12 years in detention, asked to go to Brazil as a refugee, but Brazilian authorities say he never showed up.
According to a report by the Argentinian publication "Infobae," Avianca Airlines issued an internal alert notifying its employees that the 44-year-old Syrian may be using a passport under a fake name. The airline has refused to provide further comment.
Dhiab was arrested by Pakistani police in 2002 before being sent to Gitmo, but never charged with a crime. He spent seven years protesting his detention with a hunger strike, suffering health problems as a result. He was finally cleared for release in 2009, a move that received great fanfare from civil liberty advocates.
His disappearance is of particular concern this week, as terrorist attacks around the globe ramp up as the month of Ramadan winds down. It is anticipated that adherents of the Islamic State will view July 6 as perhaps the most valued day of the year for perpetrating acts of terror.
Republicans have been intensely critical of President Obama for what they perceive as an irresponsible drive to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, resulting in the release of dangerous prisoners.
Despite the initial miscommunication about Dhiab's supposed trip to Brazil, the U.S. Embassy says American authorities are collaborating with both Brazilian and Uruguayan authorities to determine his whereabouts.
I'm sure it's all perfectly innocent. After all, perfectly innocent people travel under assumed names with fake passports all the time, right?
The disappearance of this terrorist hightlights the nonsensical administration policy of making these extremists some other country's problem. What incentive did Uruguay have in keeping a close eye on this man? He would be extremely unlikely to plan anything in Uruguay. He would be far more likely to escape surveillance and head back to Pakistan, where he could meet up with this terrorist chums and get back in the game.
I have no doubt that we'll be hearing from Abu Wa'el Dhiab in the near future.
