BeltwayBlips - Latest Guantanamo Bay News Articles

Guantanamo Bay: Inside Obama's Plan to Close the Center (Time.com)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Time.com - White House plans for terror suspects currently in detention are likely to outrage liberals and conservatives

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Holder defends decision to try alleged 9/11 terrorists in New York

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:10:28 +0000

Holder defends decision to try alleged 9/11 terrorists in New York. Washington (CNN) – Attorney General Eric Holder defended his decision Wednesday to try five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court. "We are at war and we will use every instrument of national power - civilian, military, law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic and others –to win," he told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We need not cower in the face of this enemy. Our institutions are strong." Holder announced last week that the suspected terrorists - including confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be tried in civilian court in New York City. All five suspects have been held in the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Critics of Holder's decision have argued that the suspects should be tried by a military tribunal. "There is nothing common about the treatment the alleged 9/11 conspirators will receive," Holder promised. "In fact, I ...

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Obama says Guantanamo prison to close "next year"

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:11:12 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he believes the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be closed next year, but he acknowledged that he will not meet his original January deadline.

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Obama says Guantanamo prison to close "next year" (Reuters)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:09:22 +0000

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he believes the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be closed next year, but he acknowledged that he will not meet his original January deadline.

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Obama admits will miss deadline to shut Guantanamo (AFP)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:36:21 +0000

AFP - President Barack Obama admitted for the first time on Wednesday that the United States would miss the January 2010 deadline he set for closing the "war on terror" prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Obama concedes delay in closing Guantanamo (AFP)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:39:05 +0000

AFP - US President Barack Obama admitted for the first time on Wednesday that the United States would miss the January 2010 deadline he set for closing the US war on terror prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Thomson Journal: Town Divided Over Terror Suspects

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:49:11 +0000

A village is asking itself if the economic advantages of moving terrorism suspects to its prison are worth it.

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In Senate vote, signs of shift on Guantanamo Bay detainees

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:39:19 +0000

The Senate on Tuesday rejected an attempt to bar using funds from a defense spending bill to build or modify prisons in the United States to hold detainees from Guantanamo Bay, a move that suggested congressional Democrats may be lining up behind President Obama's vision for closing the military ...

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FACT CHECK: Guantanamo detainees and US prisons (AP)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:31:59 +0000

AP - As the Obama administration considers a plan to move Guantanamo Bay detainees to prisons on U.S. soil, including possible sites in Illinois and Michigan, proponents and critics are spinning the facts.

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Senate blocks effort to halt facility upgrades in U.S. for Guantanamo detainees

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0000

On a mostly party-line vote of 57-43, the Senate defeated a Republican's bid to block spending to upgrade facilities such as the near-empty prison in Illinois proposed to house detainees. > The Democratic-controlled Senate today thwarted an effort to block spending for upgrading facilities in the United States for housing prisoners transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a move that Illinois officials feared could have complicated efforts to place detainees at a prison in their state.

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Dozens of Gitmo detainees finally get day in court (AP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:15:17 +0000

AP - In courtrooms barred to the public, dozens of terror suspects are pleading for their freedom from the Guantanamo Bay prison, sometimes even testifying on their own behalf by video from the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

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Officials discuss plans for Gitmo inmates in Ill. (AP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:27 +0000

AP - Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Sunday tried to build support and counter criticism of a proposal to sell a prison in rural northwestern Illinois to the federal government to house Guantanamo Bay detainees and other inmates.

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Illinois prison eyed to house Guantanamo detainees (Reuters)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:43:49 +0000

Reuters - Obama administration officials will visit a virtually empty Illinois prison this week as a possible location to house foreign terrorism suspects held at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison that President Barack Obama has vowed to shut by January, the state's governor's office said on Sunday.

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Excerpts from rulings in Guantanamo Bay cases (AP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:19:48 +0000

AP - Case summaries and excerpts from the opinions by U.S. District Court judges for the 30 terrorism detainees ordered released from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison and the eight denied release since late 2008:

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Dozens of Gitmo detainees finally get day in court (AP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:18:51 +0000

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Obama to meet Guantanamo deadline: top aide (AFP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:40:14 +0000

AFP - US President Barack Obama remains committed to closing the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison, but may not meet a January 2010 deadline, a top White House aide said on Sunday.

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Jenny Sanford endorses husband's former ally

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

The South Carolina governor's wife has a network of supporters, so her move carries some weight. Also: McDonald's is hiring -- at Guantanamo Bay. > She is the political wife who bucked tradition. When scandal struck her husband, the governor of South Carolina, she did not stand by his side. Instead, Jenny Sanford packed up her things and their four children and moved out of the governor's mansion for the family's home on Sullivan's Island.

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Official: Illinois prison eyed for Gitmo inmates (AP)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:20:29 +0000

AP - The Obama administration may buy a near-empty prison in rural northwestern Illinois to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay along with federal inmates, a White House official said Saturday.

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White House: IL prison eyed for Guantanamo inmates (AP)

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:57:08 +0000

AP - A White House official says the Obama administration is considering buying a northwestern Illinois prison to house a limited number of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, along with federal inmates.

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Craig: Gitmo didn't affect my decision

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:14:52 +0000

Craig says his decision was unrelated to the difficulties in closing Guantanamo Bay prison or other policy issues.

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9/11 suspects to be tried in New York (Reuters)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:28:43 +0000

Reuters - The accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks and four co-conspirators will be sent to New York for trial in a court near the site of the World Trade Center, the Obama administration said on Friday, as it took a step toward closing the Guantanamo Bay prison.

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CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:29:29 +0000

Reuters - Canadian courts grossly overreached when they ordered Ottawa to ask Washington to send a Canadian held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison back to Canada, a federal lawyer argued on Friday. The government wants the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn lower court decisions that it had to ask the Obama administration to repatriate Omar Khadr, accused of killing a U.S. soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan.

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9/11 suspects to face death penalty in NYC trial (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:26:45 +0000

AP - Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be brought to trial in a civilian federal courthouse in New York, near the site of the devastating 2001 terror attacks. Prosecutors expect to seek the death penalty.

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Congressional Republicans Furious Over Decision to Try Gitmo Detainees (CQPolitics.com)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:54:16 +0000

CQPolitics.com - Congressional Republicans reacted with outrage to the Obama administration's decision on Friday to put five Guantanamo Bay detainees on trial in federal court in New York City, saying the move could compromise intelligence and possibly allow some conspirators to walk free.

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Administration critics slam civilian trials for 9/11 suspects

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:26:15 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Growing partisan tensions over national security issues exploded Friday as several top Republicans ripped Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court. The attorney general was accused of risking Americans' security by treating the suspects like "common criminals" with a right to greater constitutional protections than they would otherwise receive in a military trial. Five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the September 11, 2001, attacks - including confessed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be tried in civilian court in New York, Holder announced Friday. "These terrorists planned and executed the mass murder of thousands of innocent Americans. Treating them like common criminals is unconscionable," Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said in a written statement. "The attacks of September 11th were an act of war. Reverting to a pre-9/11 approach to fighting terrorism and bringing these dangerous ...

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Republicans blast Obama decision on Gitmo (Reuters)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:18:33 +0000

Reuters - Republicans Friday condemned the Obama administration's decision to prosecute five September 11 suspects in a U.S. court in New York rather than at the Guantanamo Bay military base as "irresponsible."

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Republicans blast Obama decision on Gitmo

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:18:33 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans Friday condemned the Obama administration's decision to prosecute five September 11 suspects in a U.S. court in New York rather than at the Guantanamo Bay military base as "irresponsible."

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GOPers blast GITMO move

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:44:00 +0000

From NBC's Mark Murray and Mike ViqueiraNot surprisingly, Republicans are pouncing on the news that the Justice Department plans to bring accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to stand trial in federal court in New York. "These terrorists planned and executed the mass murder of thousands of innocent Americans. Treating them like common criminals is unconscionable," said GOP Sen. John Cornyn. "The attacks of September 11th were an act of...( read more )

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Gitmo 9/11 suspects heading to N.Y. to face trial (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:04:45 +0000

AP - Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, and five other suspects will be sent to military commissions, an Obama administration official said Friday.

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Obama Guantanamo advisor steps down (AFP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:29:58 +0000

AFP - US President Barack Obama Friday announced the resignation of one his key legal advisors, Greg Craig, who has battled for almost a year with the thorny problem of trying to close Guantanamo Bay.

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9/11 suspects to be tried in New York - U.S. official (Reuters)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:15:04 +0000

Reuters - The alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four others will be sent for prosecution in a criminal court in New York from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an Obama administration official said on Friday.

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Gitmo 9/11 suspects heading to NY to face trial (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:12:14 +0000

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Source: Holder to announce some 9/11 detainees will be tried in New York

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:37:50 +0000

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will announce Friday that five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks will be tried in civilian court in New York. WASHINGTON (CNN) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will announce Friday that five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks - including confessed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be tried in civilian court in New York, according to an Obama administration official. Holder's news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, the official said. He will also announce that five other detainees held at the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be sent to military commissions for trial. No other details on those detainees or their charges were available. The official was not named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. When asked about the impending announcement on Friday, President Barack Obama would only say that Mohammed "will be subject to the ...

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9/11 suspects to be tried in N.Y. court

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:51:54 +0000

Alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, officials said.

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9/11 suspects to be tried in New York: official (Reuters)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:49:46 +0000

Reuters - Five men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be sent to criminal court in New York from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an Obama administration official said on Friday.

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AP Source: Gitmo 9/11 suspects to NY for trial (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:07:58 +0000

AP - Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday.

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Obama top lawyer expected to quit: sources (AFP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:01:53 +0000

AFP - President Barack Obama's top lawyer Greg Craig is expected to officially resign Friday, with the White House admitting it may miss its one-year deadline to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

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Reports: White House counsel to resign

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:44:47 +0000

White House Counsel Gregory Craig, who has tried to lead the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison, intends to resign on Friday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported.

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Witness in Italy may hold key to Guantanamo trials (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:22:21 +0000

AP - In a decade-long journey, the Tunisian went from drug pusher on the streets of Milan to Islamic militant trained in Afghanistan to kill Americans to potential key witness against Guantanamo Bay detainees.

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White House counsel to resign: reports

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:20:34 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House Counsel Gregory Craig, who has tried to lead the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison, intends to resign on Friday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported.

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Gitmo detainee challenges judge who halted case (AP)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:51:58 +0000

AP - A man from Tajikistan seeking his freedom from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is challenging a practice among federal judges here who are short-circuiting the cases of some long-time detainees.

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White House allies say Obama bungled Guantanamo closing (McClatchy Newspapers)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:21:00 +0000

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison by Jan. 22 was followed by a series of mistakes and missteps by his administration that will delay the prison's closure for months, according to a report from a policy organization with close ties to the White House.

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Pentagon: 300 doses of H1N1 vaccine at Guantanamo (AP)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:36:12 +0000

AP - The Pentagon says a small shipment of swine flu vaccine has arrived at the Guantanamo Bay military prison. It's unlikely any of the terror detainees held there will get any of the sought-after vaccine now.

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