Ex-Gitmo Prisoners Boast In New Al Qaeda Video

By: Khaled Wassef
Topics: Saudi Arabia

Five days after President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison camp in within a year, two Saudis released from the facility in 2007 appeared in an al Qaeda propaganda video, renewing their pledge to attack Western interests and their loyalty to Osama bin Laden.

"We assure our leaders Sheikh Osama Bin Laden, may God protect him, and Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri, that we shall continue to follow the path of jihad," said Abu Sufian al Azdi Saeed al Shihri, a Saudi who was a prisoner at Guantanamo.

(CBS)

"By God's will, our imprisonment has only made us more resilient and more committed to our principles that we fought jihad and were taken prisoners for," added al Shihri, who's now the deputy leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Al Shihri also claimed in his lengthy speech that Arab governments had sent interrogators to Guantanamo to extract confessions. He addressed Muslim detainees held in U.S. prisons around the world, reassuring them that they are not forgotten, specifically mentioning the blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, Suleiman el Alwan and Walid al Senani.

(CBS)

Another former Guantanamo prisoner, Abu Hareth Mohammed al Oufi (at left), appears at the end of the tape. He threatens Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdel Aziz over the ill treatment of Islamist militants in Saudi prisons and warns against the Kingdom's rehabilitation program, which he attended alongside al Shihri upon their return from Guantanamo.

Aziz also renewed the threat against Western interests in the Arabian Peninsula and specifically in Saudi Arabia, vowing attacks. "We tell the policemen of the Saud family, the guardians of the Jews and the Crusaders, repent to God what you have been doing by guarding the gates of their embassies, their churches, their compounds, and their military and intelligence headquarters."

(CBS)

The leader of al Qaeda's Arabian branch, Yemeni national Abu Bassir Bin Nasser al Weheishy, also appears on the video to stress the importance of cutting supply lines serving U.S. forces on the peninsula and on the need to attack Westerners and Western interests, "until America stops its support to the Jews."

Al Weheishy also assured Palestinians that al Qaeda was coming to their rescue. "We shall move towards our people in Gaza and Palestine, so rejoice O' people of Jerusalem, the people of the victorious pact are heading your way."

(CBS)

The fourth man appearing on the tape is the group's military chief, Abu Huraira Qassem al Rimi, who was once the link between bin Laden and al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Al Rimi slammed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, for not "supporting Palestinians" with any of the rockets he claimed could reach Tel Aviv during the recent war on Gaza. "Don't our brothers in Gaza deserve that you would support them with one, two or three thousand of those rockets?"

All four men appeared sitting next to one another against an al Qaeda flag with weapons scattered around them. They appeared with their faces unmasked — a clear sign of defiance aimed at the Saudi, Yemeni and U.S. security services who had them men in their grasp for a period of time.

(Malahem)

The 19-minute video also includes footage of a large group of gunmen walking through mountain passes and undergoing training at a desert camp. The group had announced in its online magazine released last Wednesday that it had set up a camp to train militants with the aim of sending them to fight in Palestine.

The tape is entitled "From Here We Begin, In Al Aqsa We Shall Meet," and was produced by Malahem, a newly-established media wing of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

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by mediai11ness January 27, 2009 2:17 PM EST: fuking Duh!; Reply to this comment


by maura619 January 27, 2009 12:50 PM EST: these men are very UGLY.; Reply to this comment


by notblue January 27, 2009 12:47 PM EST: Obama shuts down Gimo with one stroke of the pen in order to pascify the screaming left the only problem is he had no plan for after the shut down. I love how the libs claim that their treatment at Gitmo is compelling them to continue their Jihad upon release. If that were true then please explain what their motivation was prior to their capture.; Reply to this comment


by mihann January 27, 2009 12:32 PM EST: What fools we were in releasing these terrorists. What fools we will be when we release more. From now on, things will only get better for them. There is only one way to deal with these "America hating" killers which, goes way beyond what America allows. Why, we get world-wide condemnation from making killers uncomfortable by pouring water on their faces!; Reply to this comment


by bigscruffy1 January 27, 2009 12:16 PM EST: We should be releasing them to their home country regardless of what happens to them. I find it moronic that we are holding them so they won''t get tortured or be sentenced to death in their homeland.; Reply to this comment


by pirmin3 January 27, 2009 11:55 AM EST: Bring ''em on!! Mission Accomplished, there''s more where that came from.; Reply to this comment


by ioweign January 27, 2009 11:23 AM EST: This story and the comments are proof that Democrats are the best friends of World Wide Terrorism. According to Ameirca Hating Democrats, these Genocidal Nuts are just innocent victims of "Bush" aggression.

Posted by demslie2u2 at 07:42 AM : Jan 27, 2009

Actually, Bush released these people so that would make him and his Administration the best friends of World Wide Terrorism.; Reply to this comment


by promaclaura January 27, 2009 11:22 AM EST: They admit they were taken prisoner for jihad, clearly acknowledging their crime. We let them go and here they are again, sounding downright belligerent. What the heck is Barack going to do? I don''''''''t believe their is any talking with these whack-jobs.

Posted by promaclaura at 12:16 PM : Jan 26, 2009

Yet another example of so many things done wrong over the last 8 years.

Let''''s give Obama a chance to fix the screwed up, no legal basis system that GWB and his lackies dreamed up. The guy has only been in charge for a week!

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Posted by boatdocster at 12:24 PM : Jan 26, 2009

Another shrill lib partisan. I asked, "What is Barack going to do"? This is not placing blame on Barack, it''s obvious from the story that the releases were under the Bush Administration. Jeez, you can''t even ask an innocent question and the libs are up in arms for Barack. Cool your jets dimwits, I wasn''t going after Obama. I felt sorry for him and wondered what he was going to do, that''s all.; Reply to this comment


by promaclaura January 27, 2009 10:55 AM EST: By God, our imprisonment has only made us more resilient and more committed to our principles that we had fought jihad and been taken prisoners for

-They admit they were taken prisoner for jihad, clearly acknowledging their crime. We let them go and here they are again, sounding downright belligerent. What the heck is Barack going to do? I don''''t believe their is any talking with these whack-jobs.

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Posted by promaclaura at 12:16 PM

"We let them go and..." --promaclaura

Hello? "We" did not let them go! Barack Obama did not let them go! G.W. Bush is the one who let them go! The idiot indiscriminately locked up and tortured the innocent along with the guilty, then he couldn''''t be bothered to figure who actually was guilty before letting them go! What an imbecile!

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Posted by IDNNSG

Libs are such idiots, I never blamed Obama for the release in my post. IDNNSG is so partisan that he "projects" perceived insults on posters that have not even placed blame anywhere.

In the same breath, he chastises Bush for releasing these guys (obviously a mistake) but still upholds Obama closing Gitmo.; Reply to this comment


by demslie2u2 January 27, 2009 10:42 AM EST: This story and the comments are proof that Democrats are the best friends of World Wide Terrorism. According to Ameirca Hating Democrats, these Genocidal Nuts are just innocent victims of "Bush" aggression.; Reply to this comment