Gitmo’s Revolving Door

A British man who was detained at Guantanamo Bay, freed and then given a $1.5 million settlement by his government has reportedly rejoined Islamic State terrorists anyway.

More evidence, it seems, that many released captives pose an ongoing threat to security, even as President Obama attempts to shutter the facility and burnish his legacy.

U.S. military documents released Jan. 15 by the director of military intelligence showed that 647 detainees had been transferred out of Gitmo. Of those, 116, or 17.9 percent, were “confirmed of re-engaging,” and another 69 were suspected of doing so. Combined, that’s nearly 30 percent.

Of those “confirmed of re-engaging,” 25 have died, 23 are back in custody, and 68 are not in custody, the Defense Department said. Of those 69 “suspected” of re-engaging, two are dead, 12 are in custody and 55 remain at large.

Jamal Al-Harith, the British former detainee, reportedly returned to Syria about 18 months ago after being set free from Guantanamo Bay in 2004. He was released after the British government had sought his freedom, RT.com reported.

A Muslim convert — his real name was Ronald Fidler — he was captured by the Taliban while visiting Quetta, Pakistan, in 2001. The website, citing information obtained by WikiLeaks, said Al-Harith was “rescued” by U.S. troops and then transported to the U.S.-run detention center in Cuba after forces said he had information about Taliban operations.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett, who had sought Al-Harith’s return, said at the time that no one should fear the former captive: “No one who is returned … will actually be a threat to the security of the British people.”

He apparently miscalculated.

Currently, 114 prisoners remain incarcerated in Gitmo out of 780 who have been detained since the facility opened in 2002. Of those left, 17 are considered “high-value,” according to the New York Times. Detainees have been released to 55 countries, with most going to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Under current law, no detainees may be transferred to U.S. soil.

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Among the detainees known or expected to have returned to terror duty from Gitmo include at least one member of the “Taliban 5,” senior Afghan rebels who were traded to Qatar for the release of Bowe Bergdahl, an Army deserter who left his unit in Afghanistan and was taken by the terrorist group. He has not been named.

Others who returned from Cuba to renew a life in terror included Mullah Abdul Rauf, who was released in 2007 and was killed in a February drone strike. He had first acted as what was described as a Taliban “shadow governor” before moving on to work as an ISIS recruiter.

Among other Gitmo recidivists, listed as “confirmed” by government officials: Shah Mohammed, a Pakistani killed fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan; Abu Sufyan al Azdi al-Shihri, a Saudi and now a leader in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula; Zahir Shah, an Afghani who is now a terrorist trainer; Ibrahim Shafir Sen, a Turk who led al-Qaida cells, recruited and trained members and worked in illegal weapons; Majid Abdullah Lahiq al Joudi, a terrorist facilitator from Saudi Arabia; and Abdullah Majid Al-Naimi of Bahrain, who was released in 2005 and rearrested in 2008 for facilitating terrorism and known associations with al-Qaida.

Others included: Abdallah Saleh Ali al-Ajmi of Kuwait, who conducted a suicide attack in Iraq; Ibrahim Bin Shakaran and Mohammed Bin Ahmad Mizouz, both of Morocco and both who recruited for al-Qaida in Iraq; Ravil Gumarov and Timur Ravilich Ishmurat, gasline bombers who hail from Russia; Said Mohammad Alim Shah, an Afghani who returned to the battlefield and kidnapped two Chinese engineers, bombed an Islamabad hotel and led a suicide attack that killed 31; and Mohammed Ismail, an Afghani and Taliban member who was involved in an attack on U.S. troops.