Republican senators on Tuesday called on the Obama administration to take captured al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi to the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, saying they feared the loss of valuable intelligence if a civilian trial limited how long U.S. officials can interrogate him.

Three senators who specialize in national security issues — Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina; Kelly Ayotte, of New Hampshire; and Saxby Chambliss, of Georgia — called for al-Libi to be held in a “permanent confinement facility” for the purposes of “long-term interrogation.”