SAUDIS REHABILITATE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 RIYADH 002515

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT. PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR CCAMPONOVO, DOD FOR ALIOTTA,
DOJ FOR TMONHEIM, S/WCI FOR AMORRISON, DRL FOR KMCGEENEY,
AND NEA/ARP FOR RJACHIM/SRAMESH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2017
TAGS: CIA KCRM PGOV PINR PREL PTER SA
SUBJECT: SAUDIS REHABILITATE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)


1. (S) SUMMARY: The Saudi Ministry of Interior (MOI)
presented a two-day orientation of its de-radicalization and
rehabilitation program for extremists to an inter-agency
delegation (NSC/DOS/DOD/DOJ),Embassy Pol-Mil, LEGAT, BPM and
Pol staff. The SAG has invested considerable resources
personnel, financial, and leadership time in their program,
and although proud of the results to date, MOI officials were
quick to point out that they are still learning and
adjusting. They noted that as al-Qaeda continues to change
its approach to try and counter the program,s success, they
must be flexible enough to adjust the program. Throughout
the visit they reaffirmed assurances that they will take all
necessary and appropriate efforts to ensure these individuals
do not pose a future security risk and treat them humanely
while in Saudi custody. The orientation concluded with a
late-night meeting with Assistant Minister of Interior for
Security Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Naif (MBN) to review
additional detainee-related issues. END SUMMARY.

--------------
DE-RADICALIZATION OF TERRORISTS
--------------


2. (U) The Saudi Ministry of Interior (MOI),in conjunction
with the Ministries of Culture, Islamic Affairs, Education
and Social Affairs, is conducting an active campaign to
counter terrorism, extremist thought and propaganda, and
terrorist recruitment within the Kingdom. Their goal is to
prevent Saudis, especially young men, from becoming
radicalized. Concurrently, they have instituted an extensive
de-radicalization and rehabilitation program, led by MOI, to
change the attitudes of Saudis who have been involved in
terrorism (including detainees transferred from U.S. custody
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and those detained locally for
terrorist activities).


3. (S) On December 9-10, MOI officials provided a
comprehensive orientation of this program, with emphasis on
what the Saudis are doing to de-radicalize and rehabilitate
returned Guantanamo detainees, to an inter-agency delegation
(NSC/DOS/DOD/DOJ). Embassy Pol-Mil, LEGAT, BPM and Pol staff
accompanied this team. The two main issues addressed by MOI
officials were the SAG,s efforts to ensure these individuals
no longer posed security risks and assurances that they were
treated humanely while in the Kingdom,s custody. The SAG
went to great lengths during this visit to allay USG concerns
in both areas.


4. (S) Mabahith Director of Public Affairs General Yusef
Mansoor led the two-day orientation, which included both
briefings and first-ever visits to MOI facilities. The MOI
began with two detailed briefings on the SAG,s information
campaign and its detainee de-radicalization and
rehabilitation programs by program director Dr. Hadlaq,
director of the rehabilitation program Sheikh Ahmed
al-Jalaani, and lead psychologist Dr. al-Otayan. These
programs focus on a strategy of prevention, rehabilitation,
and after-release care, with oversight by MOI officials
during all stages. The de-radicalization program encompasses
detainees still being held in prison, while the
rehabilitation program takes place at what MOI officials
described as a half-way house. While these programs were
designed and conducted by the MOI, large-scale family
participation was an essential element, intended to
re-integrate alienated former extremists back into mainstream
Saudi society.


5. (S) The delegation heard from members of the MOI,s
rehabilitation Advisory Committee, a committee composed of
psychologists, religious leaders, Mabahith officers, and
other MOI officials, which supervises the de-radicalization
program in MOI prisons. The committee tracks the progress of
each detainee in the program and determines whether they are
ready to move from MOI custody in prison to the
rehabilitation center and whether, ultimately, they are ready
to be released back into Saudi society. The Advisory
Committee has thus far overseen de-radicalization efforts for
approximately 3200 detainees, though only approximately 1500

RIYADH 00002515 002 OF 005


of those detainees have been released from MOI custody to
date. MOI officials emphasized that only those deemed
suitable would be enrolled in the follow-on rehabilitation
program, while all others would remain in MOI custody.
Additionally, no detainee can enter the rehabilitation
program until he completes any prison sentence he has
received. Detainees remain in the de-radicalization program
for a minimum of six months, though the program has no fixed
length. Though pleased with their success to date, MOI
officials recognize that it,s an ongoing process and needs
continued vigilance. Saudi officials report a recidivism
rate of approximately 8-9% from domestic terrorists, though
Saudi MOI officials have seen no former Guantanamo detainees
"return to the fight" to date. Of note is that all detainees
will likely remain under the powerful MOI's radar screen.
MOI is intelligently exploiting tribal and clan ties to
ensure these individuals, even when released from MOI
custody, will still be tracked and monitored, for likely the
rest of their lives, to ensure they do not return to jihad.


6. (S) According to the MOI, all detainees returned from
Guantanamo go through an initial 6-8 week processing by the
MOI upon their return and are held in an MOI prison. During
this period, they are interrogated regarding their
activities, and the MOI decides what kind of legal case will
be made against them. Their file, which includes a statement
by the detainee regarding his activities, is reviewed by a
judge who will then determine if a crime had been committed,
and if so, what punishment will be imposed. Most detainees
are initially charged with immigration violations and/or use
of false documents to leave the Kingdom. However, more
serious charges may also be filed, if the MOI investigation
uncovers any evidence of actual terrorist activity. During
this period, the detainees are initially enrolled in the
de-radicalization program which.


7. (S) The delegation also visited MOI,s Al Hajan prison, a
newly built, state-of-the-art detention facility that will be
used for those detained for terrorist activities. This
extremely secure facility will also provide decent living
conditions for its inmates and allow for the detainees,
lawyers and the National Society for Human Rights to have
access to the detainees. The facility can hold 1,200
prisoners -- 320 in single cells and the remaining in
6-person cells, and will replace an older MOI prison in
Riyadh. The general prison population in the Al Hajan
facility will be divided into groups according to assessed
threat, such that there is a prison wing for takfiri, for
younger prisoners, for those undergoing rehabilitation, etc.
All detainees transferred from Guantanamo will initially be
held in the facility though they will be housed separately
from the general population. The Advisory Committee will
manage the de-radicalization program for suitable prisoners
and will select those prisoners who will be eligible for the
rehabilitation program. The MOI has also built 4 other new
facilities similar to the Al Hajan prison in other regions of
the country, in order to more effectively handle the
extremist prison population and also ensure they are held in
relative proximity to their family, which increases the
family,s ability to play a significant role in the
de-radicalization effort a key element of the MOI program.


8. (U) The SAG is conducting an aggressive information
campaign within the Kingdom to counter extremist propaganda
and deter recruitment into Al-Qaeda. This campaign involves
the use of the internet, religious sermons, education
programs and literature, along with social outreach by
psychologists, civic leaders, tribal sheikhs and imams. The
positive treatment received by detainees and their successful
response to the overall rehabilitation process are an
important part of this campaign.

--------------
EMPHASIS ON REHABILITATION
--------------


9. (U) In conjunction with information operations and
de-radicalization programs being used within the MOI prison,
MOI has also established a halfway house in eastern Riyadh to
house its follow-on rehabilitation program. This program is
for those prisoners the MOJ clears for release from MOI

RIYADH 00002515 003 OF 005


custody and whom the MOI Advisory Committee deems to be
sufficiently de-radicalized and suitable for rehabilitation,
but who still need more work in a permissive environment
before outright release from custody. While at the halfway
house, these individuals, mostly former detainees from
Guantanamo and jihadis returned from Iraq, are being
rehabilitated and re-educated against Islamic extremism and
terrorism. The SAG has invested a tremendous amount of
effort in devising this non-military program to counter
extremism, including a staff of 140 and an in-depth
psychological study in how best to implement it.


10. (U) During the delegation,s visit to this facility, the
staff stressed that the theme of this program is to treat the
returnees not as criminals, but as victims of al-Qaeda and
radical extremism, thereby reversing the detainees,
loyalties towards these groups and fostering their allegiance
to the Kingdom. The halfway house is a secure MOI detention
center. However, the facilities themselves, aside from the
high, barbed-wire walls with outside guards, are more like a
school. It is staffed by full-time psychologists and imams
who conduct formal and informal classes to the returnees in a
relaxed environment. The daily schedule includes religious
classes, psychology classes, socialization programs, sports,
and therapeutic activities (including art therapy classes and
anger management training); socializing with other detainees
and staff is highly encouraged, as is involvement with the
detainees, families. The detainees can speak daily by phone
with their families, have family visits and occasionally can
visit their homes for a few days. According to the director
of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR),an NGO that
may speak with detainees according the assurances on
treatment given to the U.S. by the SAG, the NSHR can visit
this facility. The halfway house staff appears to play
several roles effectively, providing training, therapy, and
religious education working diligently to orient the
returnees away from radical extremism; fostering greater
respect and loyalty to the Kingdom, the King, and the MOI;
and helping them begin to re-establish normal lives after
years in detention and supporting terrorism either
domestically in Saudi Arabia or abroad in Afghanistan or
Iraq. After release from the Halfway House, the staff keep
in contact with the former detainee and his family about once
a week, including occasional visits to the detainees, homes.
This enables them to ensure that all post-release
reintegration needs are being met, and that the detainee is
not reverting to a takfiri or terrorist ideology.


11. (S) According to the MOI, six groups of former Guantanamo
detainees, totaling approximately 84 individuals, have
participated in the rehabilitation program at the half-way
house. The first four groups, totaling approximately 52
former detainees, have completed the program, while the two
most recent groups of former detainees, totaling 32
individuals, are still enrolled. All former Guantanamo
detainees who have been released from custody are being
monitored by the MOI with the help of their families. Three
groups of internal detainees, totaling 38 individuals, have
also participated in the rehabilitation program. 25 have
completed the program and been released, and 13 are still
enrolled. The first three groups of Guantanamo detainees
returned to Saudi Arabia, who were released from MOI custody
before the start of this program, were recalled to Riyadh to
undergo an abbreviated version of this program.

--------------
MEETING FORMER GUANTANAMO DETAINEES
--------------


12. (S) Part of the visit included meeting with detainees who
had been part of the rehabilitation program, including former
Guantanamo detainees. The team met four on the first day
(three former Guantanamo detainees, including Abdul Karim
al-Bukhari and Jumaa al-Dossari, and one who had fought in
Iraq. Ahmed al-Shay,a) and approximately 15 on the second
day (of whom 11 were former Guantanamo detainees). This was
the first such opportunity for U.S. officials to meet and
talk with detainees who had been returned to Saudi custody.
The detainees included both those who had completed the
program and those who were still in it. The demeanor of the
detainees we saw ranged from polite, but quiet and sullen, to

RIYADH 00002515 004 OF 005


effusive, warm and friendly. Many engaged in open
conversation, espousing a desire to live peacefully. When
commenting on their time at Guantanamo, all universally
stated that they do not focus on the past, but look to the
future. In a few instances, where a returned detainee was
willing to say more, they noted what they disliked about
their detention was the general isolation, loneliness and
uncertainty of detention. Some stated they were duped by
Al-Qaeda and now resented its un-Islamic activities. Ahmed
al-Shay,a was a 23-yr old Saudi who went to Iraq, who was
subsequently captured after his Al-Qaeda handler had him
unknowingly drive a suicide truck bomb that was prematurely
detonated resulting in nearly fatal injuries, including his
hands suffering disfiguring burns.


13. (S) MOI officials who briefed the delegation noted that
they hoped to expand the program to include having reformed
terrorists, such as the would-be suicide bomber mentioned
above, go to high schools and other places were 15-20 year
olds meet, to discuss how they had been lured into terrorist
activities with false promises and how they had wasted part
of their lives. The SAG has already made a video of the
Iraqi bomber that has been shown to television audiences
throughout Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, the goal is not only to
de-radicalize current terrorists, but to prevent
impressionable youth from becoming terrorists in the first
place.

--------------
MOI ON REHABILITATION PROGRAM AND SHAKIR AMIR
--------------


14. (S) The visit concluded with a frank and positive,
late-night meeting with Assistant Minister for Security
Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Nayif (MBN). MBN described the
MOI,s rehabilitation program as the right thing to do now as
it would defuse the recruitment time bomb. Because the
program has such wide societal buy in - family, tribes,
communities, government - MBN believes it is reducing the
potential terrorist threat, especially in the long-term. He
noted that in the view of the Ministry, all of the detainees
from Guantanamo, including those scheduled for return in the
final transfer group, had the potential for reform and
reintegration. MBN lamented that other nations do not have
similar programs like the Saudis. When asked whether the SAG
could help fellow Arab nations develop similar programs, MBN
responded that these countries, particularly Yemen, have
little interest in conducting such type of programs.
However, he agreed that Saudi officials should share
information about their rehabilitation program with ROYG
counterparts and other government officials in the region;
they will consider hosting a conference on the topic early
next year. When asked whether the SAG might take Yemeni
detainees in Guantanamo with close family ties to Saudi
Arabia, MBN said this would not be possible, primarily for
domestic political reasons.


15. (S) The U.S. delegation pressed MBN to accept the return
of Guantanamo detainee and British resident Shakir Amir to
Saudi Arabia. MBN indicated the KSA would not take him
unless Amir submitted a written statement that he was willing
to return to Saudi Arabia. His reluctance was based largely
on concerns raised by MOI lawyers about potential litigation
in the UK and the negative press associated with such
litigation. MBN noted that the MOI is familiar with Amir,s
attorney and, therefore, wants a written guarantee that Amir
wishes to be returned Kingdom instead of the UK (where he has
residency). MBN also indicated concern over the possible
effect a public dispute could have on SAG-UK bilateral
relations. The delegation emphasized that HMG had already
conveyed their support for sending him to Saudi Arabia, but
MBN remained non-committal. He did, however, agree to look
for other ways this issue might be resolved. He was clear
that the SAG will accept Amir if he wishes to return to Saudi
Arabia.
--------------
SAUDI REHABILITATION - LOOKS LIKE ITS WORKING
--------------


16. (S) COMMENT. The Saudis went to great lengths to
demonstrate the effort they are putting into their

RIYADH 00002515 005.2 OF 005


rehabilitation program and its success to date, seeking to
assuage both our security and human rights concerns. It was
clearly evident that the program and its directors have
support at high levels of the Al Saud, starting with Prince
Muhammad bin Naif, and that this support will ensure it
remains a key component of the Kingdom,s
counter-radicalization efforts. This rehabilitation program
augmenting the de-radicalization program, which was begun in
2003, shows promise in effectively combating terrorism with
education rather than force. The Saudis are committing
significant resources to re-educate former extremists, with a
fair amount of success thus far. MOI will still closely
track those it eventually releases to ensure they do not
return to jihad. The Saudis do acknowledge, nonetheless,
that truly hard-core extremists may require long-term
detention. But, according to them, better the Guantanamo
detainees are in Saudi rather than U.S. hands, because this
reduces al-Qaeda,s ability to use Guantanamo as a recruiting
tool. The program,s ultimate goal is to dry up al-Qaeda
recruitment and effectively prevent young Saudi men from
becoming radicalized, while also reducing familial, tribal
and community support of individuals who do turn to
extremism. The biggest apparent benefit, and the Saudi,s
main intent, is to ensure the SAG continues to address the
challenge of combating extremist ideology within the Kingdom.
Thus far, the program appears to be having its desired
effect. END COMMENT.

FRAKER