Ayotte Statement on Transfer of Gitmo Detainee

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte released the following statement today regarding the Department of Defense announcement that Guantanamo Bay detainee, Fouzi Khalid Abdullah al Awda, is being transferred to Kuwait.

"The administration's post-election announcement today that it is releasing al Awda-who reportedly swore allegiance to bin Laden and was previously deemed "high risk' and "too dangerous to transfer'-to Kuwait is yet another dangerous example of the Obama administration's misguided motivation to empty and then close Guantanamo rather than protect the national security interests of the United States.

"In the wake of last week's report that as many as 30 former Guantanamo detainees are fighting with ISIS, I called for the president to suspend detainee transfers until a thorough review can be conducted to determine what steps are necessary to ensure that detainees do not reengage in the fight against us, and I renew my call today."

Following is Senator Ayotte's October 30 letter to the president:

October 30, 2014

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

The Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) presents a growing threat to our homeland and our national security interests abroad. As you told the nation on September 10, 2014, a successful strategy to defeat ISIS must include an effort to "stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East." Yet, according to a public report today, as many as 30 former Guantanamo detainees are suspected of having joined ISIS and reengaged in the fight against the United States and our allies. I write to request that your administration provide more information about former Guantanamo detainees who have joined ISIS and take steps to prevent this from happening in the future.

As you know, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), an estimated 29.7 percent of former Guantanamo detainees have reengaged in terrorism or are suspected of having reengaged in terrorism. It now appears that a significant number of these former Guantanamo detainees may have joined ISIS.

I am sure you would agree our troops should never have to confront a former Guantanamo detainee on the battlefield, and we should undertake every effort to ensure that does not happen. This recent report underscores the risks associated with releasing Guantanamo detainees for reasons unrelated to the national security interests of the United States.

I request that you suspend any further Guantanamo detainee transfers at least until a thorough review can be conducted to better understand how many former Guantanamo detainees have joined ISIS and to determine what steps are necessary to prevent such an outcome in the future.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

###

Source