Senate

GOP senator: Obama to blame if Gitmo detainees join terror groups

by Jordain Carney - 12/10/15 7:14 PM ET

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) says President Obama is responsible for Guantanamo Bay detainees that join terrorist groups after they are released.

Ayotte on Thursday sent a letter to the president amid reports that Ibrahim al-Qosi, who was transferred from the facility to Sudan in 2012, is now a spokesperson for al Qaeda in Yemen.

{mosads}”The responsibility for al-Qosi’s return to terrorism falls squarely on your administration,” she wrote. “That inescapable fact demonstrates the need for a fundamental reevaluation of your policy related to Guantanamo.”

Ayotte, who is opposed to closing the facility and bringing detainees into the United States, added that the president should stop any transfers until he can guarantee that detainees won’t join terrorist groups.

She isn’t the only senator using al-Qosi to underscore their belief that the president is placing his pledge to close Guantanamo Bay above national security.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) said Obama shouldn’t “underestimate the zeal of these terrorists to return to the battlefield.”

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) added that al-Qosi gives lawmakers “a clear picture of exactly the type of terrorist he is talking about releasing.”

The Pentagon has sent teams to South Carolina and Kansas to examine facilities as potential alternative locations for Guantanamo detainees.

A broad defense policy bill, which the president signed earlier this year, blocks the administration from being able to transfer detainees into the United States. It would also require Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to certify that any transfer of detainees out of the facility is in the interest of national security.

Tags Guantanamo Bay detention camp Ibrahim al-Qosi Kelly Ayotte