Thomas Joscelyn reports that another former Gitmo detainee has been killed after returning to his terrorist ways. The jihadist in question is Yousef Mohammed al Shihri. He was killed in a shootout at a checkpoint along the Saudi-Yemeni border after he and his accomplices were stopped by Saudi security forces for suspicious behavior:
Two of the travelers, including al Shihri, were reportedly dressed as women. Saudi security personnel decided to search the al Qaeda car and its passengers, but al Shihri and the others opened fire. Al Shihri and one other al Qaeda member were killed in the shootout, while a third was arrested. One Saudi security officer was also killed. . . . The Saudi security personnel who searched al Shihri’s car reportedly found a small cache of arms, including suicide explosive belts.
Al Shihri’s return to terrorism should not surprise anyone. According to Joscelyn, a foreign government service (believed to be Saudi intelligence) provided information on detainees held at Guantanamo Bay that they designated as being high priority targets. Al Shihri was number four on the list.
Furthermore, a memo prepared at Gitmo regarding al Shihri reported:
The detainee stated he considers all Americans his enemy. The detainee decided that he hates all Americans because they attack his religion, Islam. Since Americans are the detainee’s enemy, he will continue to fight them until he dies.
The detainee pointed to the sky and told the interviewing agents that he will have a meeting with them in the next life. …
The detainee stated that the FBI, the United States and the interrogators are the enemy.
Nonetheless, in 2007, our government released al Shihri into Saudi custody. After graduating from the Saudi jihadist rehabilitation program (I’m not making this up) he fled from Saudi soil to Yemen, where he joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Instead of investigating those who extracted information from captured terrorists who had been unwilling to provide any, perhaps the Obama administration should investigate those who caused terrorists like al Shihri to be released so they resume their jihad.
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