A former Guantanamo Bay detainee released in South America has been misplaced, and a Brazilian airline has issued an alert asking its employees to be on the lookout for him.
Abu Wa’el Dhiab, who was released in Uruguay in December 2014 after twelve years spent in detention, has vanished after purportedly entering Brazil. Uruguayan authorities claim he was authorized to visit the country as a refugee, but Brazil has no record of his arrival.
According to a report by the Argentinian publication “Infobae,” Avianca Airlines issued an internal alert notifying its employees that the 44-year-old Syrian may be using a passport under a fake name. The airline has refused to provide further comment.
Dhiab was arrested by Pakistani police in 2002 before being sent to Gitmo, but never charged with a crime. He spent seven years protesting his detention with a hunger strike, suffering health problems as a result. He was finally cleared for release in 2009, a move that received great fanfare from civil liberty advocates.
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His disappearance is of particular concern this week, as terrorist attacks around the globe ramp up as the month of Ramadan winds down. It is anticipated that adherents of the Islamic State will view July 6 as perhaps the most valued day of the year for perpetrating acts of terror.
Republicans have been intensely critical of President Obama for what they perceive as an irresponsible drive to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, resulting in the release of dangerous prisoners.
Despite the initial miscommunication about Dhiab’s supposed trip to Brazil, the U.S. Embassy says American authorities are collaborating with both Brazilian and Uruguayan authorities to determine his whereabouts.
