Judge Orders 17 Gitmo Inmates Freed

(NEWSER) - The Chinese Muslims freed from Guantanamo last week had never heard of al-Qaeda before arriving in Cuba, one of them tells the Royal Gazette of Bermuda. "From what we have heard about them, they are an extremely radical group, with totally different ideals from ours," said Salahidin Abdulahad, who arrived in Bermuda last week with three other Uighurs. "We are a peace-loving people." More»

Justice Department clears detainee for transfer to unknown country

(NEWSER) - A Yemeni doctor held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 has been cleared for transfer abroad as part of the administration's review of prisoner cases, reports CNN. Justice Department officials say the hard part now will be to find a country willing to take him. The Bush administration once claimed the physician had taken part in an anthrax program of Al Qaeda, but he was never charged with any crime. Federal attorneys filed a motion to halt all legal proceedings against him yesterday. More»

Goverment seeks to reverse decision to free Chinese Muslims

(NEWSER) - An appeals court has blocked the release of 17 Chinese Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay after the Bush administration filed an emergency motion. A lower court had ruled that the men, members of the Uighur minority who have been imprisoned for 7 years, must be released. That decision also said that the detainees should be admitted to the United States, as they would likely face torture if they returned to China. More»

FBI agents discovered he liked them during interrogations

(NEWSER) - Osama bin Laden’s driver warmed up to interrogators after he was given McDonald’s french fries, Reuters reports. He "even appreciated that McDonald's fries are not good cold," an FBI agent testified yesterday at Salim Hamdan’s war crimes trial. In another instance, he perked up when permitted to call his wife—after being held for 7 months. More»

Driver was key member of organization: prosecutor

(NEWSER) - Arguments in the trial of Salim Hamdan gave a view of al-Qaeda's inner circle today, as prosecutors opened by painting Osama bin Laden's driver as a key member of the organization, the Miami Herald reports. The lead prosecutor depicted Hamdan as a constant presence in high-level al-Qaeda operations and argued that he knew the destination of the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11. More»