INSIDE | A5
Judge orders release of detainee, criticizing lack of evidence
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The White House acknowledged for the first time Friday that it might not be able to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January as President Obama has promised.
Senior administration officials cited difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving legal and logistical questions. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to more freely discuss the sensitive issue.
The prison in Cuba was created by former President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as a landing spot for suspected al-Qaida, Taliban and foreign fighters captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere. It has since become a lightning rod of anti-U.S. criticism. There are approximately 225 detainees still being held there.
Obama promised soon after taking office to close the prison, arguing that doing so is crucial to restoring America's image in the world and to creating a more effective anti-terror approach.
Several issues remain unresolved. They include establishing a new set of rules for military trials, finding a location for a new prison to house detainees and finding host countries for those who can be released.
After Obama's promise, administration officials and lawyers began reviewing the files on each detainee. At issue: which can be tried, and whether to do so in military or civilian courts; which can be released to other nations; and which are too dangerous or their cases too compromised by lack of evidence that they must be held indefinitely.
A major complaint surfaced immediately -- that the Bush administration had not established a consolidated repository of intelligence and evidence on each prisoner. As a result, it took longer than expected to build such a database, the officials said. That database has now been completed, and prosecutors have also concluded their initial review of the detainees and recommended to the Justice Department an unspecified number who appear eligible for prosecution, the officials told the AP. The Justice Department and the Pentagon now will work together to determine which prisoners should be tried in military courts and which in civilian ones, the officials said.
