The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it had transferred a Saudi Arabian national from the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay back to his native Saudi Arabia.
Held since January 2002, Abdul Rahman Shalabi was cleared for release in June by a review board after previously being deemed too dangerous to be freed. He was a longtime hunger striker and was never charged with a crime.
A Pentagon document had identified Shalabi as one of Osama bin Laden's bodyguards.
Shalabi is being released as part of the Saudi government's rehabilitation program for ex-detainees, and he will be monitored for years to come.
With Shalabi’s transfer, there are 114 prisoners remaining at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility, including 52 deemed eligible for transfer if host countries can meet U.S. security conditions.