FRENCH RELEASE 1 OF 3 EX-GTMO DETAINEES

UNCLAS PARIS 001610 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER FR SUBJECT: FRENCH RELEASE 1 OF 3 EX-GTMO DETAINEES REPATRIATED MARCH 7 REF: STATE 34902 ¶1. (U) According to press reports, the GOF released Mustaq Ali Patel in the evening of March 9 after questioning him for two days. Patel was one of three French citizens previously held in Guantanamo (GTMO) and transferred to French custody on March 7. The other two ex-GTMO detainees, Ridouane Khalid and Khaled Ben Mustafa, remain in detention. According to French law, they can remain in detention for 96 hours before charges must be filed. A decision on whether to file charges against Khalid and Ben Mustafa will likely occur by Friday, March 11. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The decision to release Patel was expected, given that he no longer was considered by the USG to be an enemy combatant (reftel) and the French had consistently told us that they had no derogatory information against him. Regarding Khalid and Ben Mustafa, a decision to charge them with "terrorist conspiracy" is possible, indeed likely. If charged and successfully sent to pretrial detention, Khalid and Ben Mustafa will join the other four French ex-GTMO detainees in prison and currently awaiting trial. Judicial sources have told us that all six ex-GTMO detainees may be tried together. End comment. Leach