Guantanamo Ex-prisoners Sent to Bosnia, Montenegro

The US Justice Department on Thursday announced it had sent two released prisoners from the Guantanamo camp to Bosnia and Montenegro as they had nowhere to go. One had Bosnian citizenship, having fought there in the 1990s.

Tariq Al-Sawah and Abd al-Aziz Abduh Abdallah Ali Al-Suwaydi have been sent to Bosnia and Montenegro, US authorities said, given that neither could return safely to his country of origin - Egypt and Yemen.

Al Sawah was transferred to Bosnia.

"US authorities don't consider it necessary to prolong the detention of Al Sawah in order to protect the security of the US," a statement by the Pentagon reads.

Al Sawah was imprisoned in Guantanamo in May 2002, where he was transferred after having been captured in Afghanistan.

The US authorities suspected him of committing war crimes while he was a member of Al Qaeda.

As Al Sawah possesses Egyptian citizenship, Egypt has repeatedly sought his release. He also won Bosnian citizenship having fought for the Bosniak [Muslim] cause there in the Nineties.

"US authorities are thankful to the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina for their humanitarian gesture and their readiness to help the effort to close the Guantanamo prison. US authorities have coordinated with the Bosnian government to ensure a safe journey and the human treatment [of Al Swah]", the Pentagon said.

The other former Guantanamo inmate, Abd al-Aziz Abduh Abdallah Ali Al-Suwaydi, was released to Montenegro.

According to the New York Times, Suwaydi is a 41-year-old Yemeni citizen who has been held in the prison for 13 years and eight months.

He was an al Qaeda member who was identified as an explosives trainer. After fleeing Afghanistan, he was captured trying to return to Yemen. He...