JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia confirmed on Thursday the arrival of a prisoner who was sent back to the Kingdom from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to serve out the remainder of his 13-year sentence.
Ahmed Mohammed al-Darbi is the first detainee to leave the US base in Cuba since President Donald Trump took office. The Pentagon first announced the transfer in a brief statement on Wednesday.
Saudi state security says al-Darbi arrived just before midnight on Wednesday and that his relatives had been notified.
After serving the remainder of his sentence, about nine years, al-Darbi will spend time in a Saudi rehabilitation center for convicted extremists that aims to help them assimilate back into society through frequent visits with relatives, religious counseling with moderate clerics, art therapy and even cash assistance to help them once out.
There have been around 140 detainees transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia. His transfer brings the number of men still held at Guantanamo to 40.
The agreement to repatriate al-Darbi was made under President Barack Obama, whose administration had hoped to eventually close the detention center. Trump reversed that policy and has vowed to continue using the center.
