KUWAITI PSYCHIATRIST: OUTLOOK POSITIVE FOR GTMO

S E C R E T KUWAIT 001018 NOFORN SIPDIS NEA/ARP, NEA/RA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2019 TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV PINR KDRG KU SUBJECT: KUWAITI PSYCHIATRIST: OUTLOOK POSITIVE FOR GTMO REHABILITATION REF: KUWAIT 755 Classified By: Political Counselor Pete O'Donohue for reasons 1.4 b and d Al-Mutayri Rehabilitation: Not a Problem -------------- ¶1. (S/NF) Kuwaiti Psychiatrist and Al-Salam Rehabilitation Center board member Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghuloum related to poloff on October 21 his positive prognosis for the likelihood of the eventual settling into Kuwaiti life of (newly) former GTMO detainee Khaled Al-Mutayri -- repatriated to Kuwait on October 9. Though he has not seen Al-Mutayri since his September trip to GTMO where he interviewed and reviewed the medical files of all four remaining Kuwaiti GTMO detainees, Al-Ghuloum affirmed that Al-Mutayri "is not going to be a problem." Al-Ghuloum gathered from his colleagues at the rehab center and through GOK sources that Al-Mutayri is not fighting his continued detention and has reportedly indicated his desire to be admitted to the Rehab center located at Kuwait's Central Prison (reftel). Ghuloum speculated that it might be months before Al-Mutayri will be transferred to the center because Kuwait State Security (KSS) desires to keep him under observation at a military hospital. He also speculated that KSS is taking active investigatory measures in building a criminal case against Al-Mutayri. (Note: A KSS official who met personally with Al-Mutayri after repatriation relayed to GRPO that though Al-Mutayri appears calm around family and Rehab center staff during their September GTMO visit, around security officials, he appears full of anger. End note.) Rx: Extend Psychiatric Care to the Family -------------- ¶2. (C) Al-Mutayri's re-entry into Kuwait was a low-key event and he has reportedly met with few outside of his family. As a member of the team responsible for Al-Mutayri's rehabilitation, Al-Ghuloum has not yet seen him and predicted that as a psychiatrist, he would have little dealings with Al-Mutayri. The rehabilitation of Al-Mutayri would primarily be conducted by Imam Khalid Al-Otaibi (who also traveled to GTMO in September) -- who in Al-Ghuloum's opinion was more than suited for the task. Al-Ghuloum speculated that he would be called in to counsel the family members of Al-Mutayri to help them prepare him for the eventual return to daily life. Family to Play a Crucial Role in Rehabilation -------------- ¶3. (C) He also said that by all accounts he had heard, Abdullah Al-Ajmi was clinically unstable and warranted psychiatric care at the time of his Mosul, Iraq suicide detonation in April 2008. Al-Ghuloum said that he would take this into account when counseling family members, and help them recognize signs of despondency or depression. (Note: The GOK places a high degree of emphasis on the role of the family in rehabilitating extremists, especially in terms of the monitoring and prevention of mixing with negative influences. Reinforcing this, families of the former eight detainees took steps to have them married to speed up their accepting of responsibilities and playing a role in their communities. Dr. Al-Ghuloum does not prescribe marriage as a "treatment" but suggested that it would be a tack quickly taken by families of the remaining detainees who are still unmarried. End note.). Little Public Sympathy for Extremists -------------- ¶4. (C) Al-Ghuloum also mentioned that of the four detainees, he only had reservations about Fayez Al-Kandari. Though he believed that Fayez would not be a threat to society, he speculated that he might have some adjustment issues. Along the same lines, Fayez, of the Al-Kandari clan, would likely not benefit from the same familial embrace available to the other three. The Kanadir (plural) "are a rough lot, the Kuwaiti Celts." (Ghuloum spent eight years doing his clinical studies in Ireland). Overall, though, Kuwaiti public sentiment towards the detainees and others suspected of extremism, according to Al-Ghuloum (a liberal Shi'a) is one of embarrassment, many with calls to "let them rot." Ample Access to Detainees -------------- ¶5. (C) Al-Ghuloum also expressed his appreciation for USG hospitality and accommodation for the September trip to GTMO, saying that he felt that he was allowed ample access to the detainees and all relevant information regarding them. The psychiatrist ended by expressing his willingness for continued contact with the Embassy on these issues. ********************************************* ********* For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: visit Kuwait's Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Kuwa it ********************************************* ********* JONES