Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistani imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for last 16 years, to be released
Saifullah Paracha was arrested on suspicion of having contacts with al Qaeda in Bangkok in 2003; he was never charged
- US approves release of Guantanamo Bay's oldest prisoner Saifullah Paracha.
- Saifullah Paracha, 73, has been held at Guantanamo Bay for more than 16 years. He is a Pakistani businessman.
- Authorities alleged he was an al-Qaeda "facilitator" who helped two of the conspirators in the 9/11 plot with a financial transaction. He says he didn't know they were al-Qaida and denies any involvement in terrorism.
WASHINGTON: The United States has approved the release of Guantanamo Bay's oldest prisoner 73-year-old Saifullah Paracha, who is a Pakistani, it was reported Tuesday.
Suspected of having contacts with al Qaeda, Paracha was detained in Bangkok in July 2003 and taken to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2004.
Paracha was never charged with a crime. He was cleared by a US prisoners review board along with two other men, CTV quoted Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, who represented Paracha at his hearing in November last year, as saying.
Paracha's lawyer said that he will be released in the next few months.
Detailed reasons for Paracha's release were not disclosed. He was notified of that he has been approved for release after more than 16 years in custody at the US base in Cuba.
The notification for release concluded that Paracha is "not a continuing threat" to the US, his lawyer said.
Paracha, who lived in the US and owned property in New York City, was a Karachi-based businessman. Authorities alleged he was an al-Qaeda "facilitator" who helped two of the conspirators in the September 11 plot with a financial transaction. He says he didn't know they were al-Qaida and denies any involvement in terrorism.
The US has long asserted that it can hold detainees indefinitely without charge under the international laws of war.
In November, Paracha, who suffers from a number of ailments including diabetes and a heart condition, made his eighth appearance before the review board, which was established under President Barack Obama to try to prevent the release of prisoners who authorities believed might engage in anti-US hostilities upon their release from Guantanamo.