Gates Seeks Way To Close Guantanamo

Defense Secretary Wants Dangerous Prisoners Transferred So Terror Facility Can Be Shuttered

(AP)  Congress and the Bush administration should work together to allow the U.S. to permanently imprison some of the more dangerous Guantanamo Bay detainees elsewhere so the facility can be closed, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Gates said the challenge is figuring out what to do with hard-core detainees who have "made very clear they will come back and attack this country."

He said it may require a new law to "address the concerns about some of these people who really need to be incarcerated forever, but that doesn't get them involved in a judicial system where there is the potential of them being released," Gates told the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

Gates' comments came as the Pentagon released the transcript from a Guantanamo hearing involving a Saudi linked to the Sept. 11 attacks. He said he got money transfers from two hijackers inside the United States hours before the planes struck the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, who was based in the United Arab Emirates on Sept. 11, 2001, denied that he was a member of the al Qaeda terrorist network and that he sent money to the hijackers.

Lawmakers said Thursday the Guantanamo facility hurts U.S. credibility with its allies. They asked that Gates give more thought to how it could be closed and detainees moved to a military prison.

"I hope that we can work to find some way to correct this problem, because as you say, it is a stain on our reputation and we can't afford it," said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.

Of the 385 detainees at Guantanamo, fewer than 100 would be considered hard-core, Gates said. He said he assumes there would be room in the military prison system for them.

But he said he did not know if using the military brigs would allow the U.S. to keep the detainees over the long term.

He noted that the U.S. is struggling to return several hundred of the detainees to their home countries, but those nations do not want them.

Al-Hawsawi is one of 14 "high value" detainees who are likely to be considered more dangerous. They were transferred to Guantanamo last September after being held in secret CIA prisons abroad. The hearings are being conducted to determine if they are enemy combatants who can be held indefinitely and prosecuted for war crimes.

In the hearing transcript, al-Hawsawi said he was told by al Qaeda operative Ramzi Binalshibh about the Sept. 11 plot one day in advance and was instructed to fly that same day from the UAE to Pakistan, where he met Binalshibh the following day. Binalshibh is also being held at Guantanamo.

Asked by a member of the Combatant Status Review Tribunal for his reaction to realizing he was "part of that operation," referring to the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Hawsawi replied, "In the beginning I was surprised by the size of the operation. It was mostly a surprise to me."

The transcript does not fully explain the significance of the allegation that al-Hawsawi received thousands of dollars in money transfers from hijackers shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks, other than establishing his association with them.

According to intelligence reports, al-Hawsawi was one of two key financial facilitators entrusted by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — who also is held at Guantanamo and has confessed to his role in the Sept. 11 plot — to manage the financing of the hijacking plan.

Al-Hawsawi told the hearing that he had met with four of the hijackers in the United Arab Emirates before Sept. 11, but he did not say when or provide details. Asked about the wire transfers of money from two of the hijackers, he said he did not know why he was sent the money, totaling $17,860, on Sept. 8 and 9.

At his hearing, al-Hawsawi acknowledged receiving money transfers and said, "I put it in my bank account in the United Arab Emirates. Only, I did not do anything else with it."

He spoke through a translator. The transcript covered the unclassified portion of the hearing; a classified session was held subsequently, for which no transcript has been released. The Pentagon is not permitting news organizations to attend the unclassified hearings for any of the 14 "high value" detainees at Guantanamo.

[grazinggoat]

Wide open Gates is losing his shine. He should consider wax his face to look more and more like Wax-FaceCheney, his infamous hunting boss.

[grazinggoat]

How can any of you looser defend these scumbags. They should all get a needle in the rump. Just like a rabid animal. I guess none of you lost anyone when they were part of killing over three thousand Americans. Let's just keep picking on our president. All muslims must die. You'll all figure it out after they kill a hundred thousand americans with real big bomb. Get a backbone you wimps.
Posted by superchez1

-Like the Nazis did to some of the 6,000,000 Abraham sons and daughters?
Waht a soulless animal you are, stinking supercheeez1.

[grazinggoat]

Decent people should insist on keeping this shameful place open forever like the Yad Vashem in Israel. If not open, to prevent those mental people from torturing more prisoners, but at least preserve it in order to remind the world of the barbaric acts done on those humans.

[imprisonbush]

You Republicans who rant that we "liberals" are cowards or worse because we believe all people are entitled to the rights guaranteed in our Constitution, including due process, equal protection and probably cause to arrest requirements "need to get some schoolin'" (as YOUR president would say). With similar success, your political position was well articulated by many others before you: specifically, the Nazi party. This Administration does resemble this party in a lot of ways. Who would have believed 7 years ago that this kind of fascist government could take hold again. Not I. Bush and his incompetent nutball friends could never of accomplished this much failure but for the horrible actions of Osama bin laden. But OBL did not cause this failure -- your hero GWB did. My guess is that OBL did not have the foresight to plan the entire collapse of democracy in this country when making his plans to destroy those buildings. But OBL must get a huge laugh every day over Bush's efforts to lead this country down a path to destroy democracy here since he could never of done this himself in a million years with Bush and his boot-lickers (like you). And if you want to talk about cowards, you need not look any further than the military records of the Shrub and dead-eye D*ck. Two inbred cowards indeed.

[inventagod]

Gitmo should be turned into a shrine dedicated to Bu$h and Gonzo. Wow - that kinda sounds like Nixon and Bonzo...

[karlimhof]

they should all be moved to Bushes Carwford ranch - they could help Bush clear brush and assist him in writing his "war president" memoirs - they probably speak and write english better.....

[Leutchik]

What's the point in closing Gitmo? Whatever replaces it will be discovered and railed against by the New York Times and the rest of the liberal media handwringers. Why HAND these people a victory? That's nuts.

The actual issue is about what we DO with these detainees, not the location of the collection of bricks and mortar in which we DO it. Libs apparently want these badasses just released; and then when they turn and lead attacks on the U.S. they can be used as more proof of the bankrupt policies of the hated Bush administration.

I am surprised that Gates appears not to realize what the actual process is here.

[macusweil]

Now that Gonzo "torture boy" is on his last gasp Gates has another shot at doing the proper thing and closing down the Gitmo torture pen.

Mr. Bush please explain again why our US justice system that has sustained this country for more than 200 years is no good so that we have to reinvent a whole new one just for the war on 'terra' ??

Anyone read the accounts of yesterday's proceeding of the Australian detainee? What a COMPLETE AND UTTER joke. These clowns have no clue what they are doing!! His main lawyer had to quit yesterday because they wanted the lawyer to sign saying he'd agree to a document covering the rules for trial which was not yet even published!!

[tuckerndfw]

Actually, Gates is trying to find another legal loophole so Bush (and others) can avoid facing criminal charges.

Kidnapping people is a federal & international crime.

Which brings to mind Italy indicting those CIA agents for kidnapping that innocent guy in Italy. After which he was taken to a "secret prison" and tortured. The US (Gates, CIA) refuses to cooperate in those prosecutions.

Obviously, Gates isn't as concerned about legalities as he is covering tracks for the Bush administration.

[crater7]

No problem, just move them to another secret prison, then, just STAY THE COURSE. Out of sight, out of mind. The guards can treat the prisoners to " dunking for apples any time they want."