TRANSFER OF GTMO DETAINEES TO YEMEN, JUNE 2007

S E C R E T SANAA 001145 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER KAWC YM SUBJECT: TRANSFER OF GTMO DETAINEES TO YEMEN, JUNE 2007 Classified By: JHOOD Classified By: P/E JHOOD, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (S/NF) Post confirms that on 19 June at between 1900 and 2100 local (1600 - 1800Z) Pol/Econ Officer Jed T. Dornburg signed change of custody paperwork for the four GTMO detainees listed below who were then transferred to the control of the Yemeni Government through MFA official Hadi HAIDRA. There were no media or family members at the airport for what was a smooth and low)key handover. US9SA-000678DP (YM ) 678) MAHDI, Fawaz Naman Hamoud Abdullah (Bin Namen Fawz) US9SA-000221DP (YM ) 221) SALIH, Ali Mohsen (Nasir, Ali Muhsin Salih) US9SA-000069DP (YM ) 069) ISMAIL, Sadeq Muhammad Said (Sa,ad Sadik) US9SA-000225DP (YM ) 225) AL-SHULAN, Hani Abdul Muslih (Al-Shuj,lan, Hani Abdu Muslih) ¶2. (U) Poloff arrived at Sana,a International at approximately 1815 local. DMO 73 flight from Guantanamo landed at 1920. Yemeni officials from MFA and security agencies were present for the hand-over. ¶3. (S) U.S. guards on the aircraft reported that SALIH, ISMAIL, and AL-SHULAN refused drink and food for the duration of the flight to Yemen (approximately 15 hours). SALIH in addition wore a mask because he spat at guards. ¶4. (S) ISMAIL, AL-SHULAN and especially SALIH, appeared stoic upon deplaning. They wore white jumpsuits and their hands were restricted by flex-cuffs. They were ushered into a waiting van, in which the Yemeni authorities removed the flex-cuffs. The detainees' interactions with the Yemeni authorities appeared non-combative and subdued. ¶5. (S) POLOFF signed for a duffle bag for each detainee containing USG issued clothes and toiletries. Only SALIH had personal belongings, consisting of various papers and letters. MADHI had USG-issued medication. POLOFF handed off the items including medical records for each of the detainees to Yemeni authorities. ¶6. (U) POLOFF reported completion of the handover to NEA Yemen Desk Officer at approximately 2050 local, and the plane departed at 2053. POLOFF notified OPS center at 2115. ¶7. (S) SAID, Ali Muhammad Nasir Muhammad (US9SA-000179DP),a detainee at Guantanamo, had been scheduled to be on DMO 73. MFA asked that he not be returned at this time as the ROYG had not met with him in Guantanamo and therefore had not identified him as a Yemeni national. SAID is not individually at issue, rather MFA stated they required adjudication of Yemeni citizenship for all returnees, of which there are roughly 40 who, when Yemen,s delegation last visited Guantanamo, the delegation was unable to meet. SAID was one of those detainees. ¶8. (U) On June 20, PolChief briefed Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalid AL-AKWA on the hand-over, and suggested that Yemen consider another visit to Guantanamo to interview the remaining detainees with claims to Yemeni nationality. Al-Akwa agreed it was a good idea and would raise it with concerned authorities. ¶9. (U) Point of contact for Guantanamo returns to Yemen is Pol/Econ Officer Jed T. Dornburg, who can be contacted via classified email at: DornburgJT@state.sgov.gov. KRAJESKI