The commander of the USS Cole when it was attacked by terrorists in 2000 voiced strong opposition Saturday to the possibility of housing Guantanamo Bay prisoners in the Alexandria jail.
“Terrorists should not be housed and tried in the dense urban environment of Alexandria,” Commander Kirk S. Lippold said. “It defies common sense.”
Lippold met with Alexandria Mayor William Euille on Friday to discuss the implications of bringing the Guantanamo Bay detainees to the city. Euille confirmed on Saturday that the commander did stop by his office, but did not elaborate on the meeting.
Lippold told The Examiner that he believed this was not a “not in my backyard” issue, but rather a public safety issue. Part of the concern is over the proximity of the Alexandria jail and courthouse to surrounding commercial offices, condominiums, and residential areas.
“Unlike when the terrorists Zacarais Moussaoui and the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh, were jailed and tried, the area surrounding the Jail and Court House is now completely developed and populated with thousands of permanent residents and office workers,” Lippold said. “We cannot bring terrorists like [Abd] Al-Nashiri to Alexandria. I know firsthand the damage that he can cause.”
Al-Nashiri allegedly planned the Oct. 12, 2000 attack that sent a boat loaded with explosives into the destroyer USS Cole, killing 17 sailors and injuring more than three dozen others. Al-Nashiri was captured in 2002 and is being held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
The topic of moving prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Alexandria heated up in the Commonwealth after President Barack Obama issued an executive order to close the prison by January 2010. Moussaoui, who was convicted for his involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, stood trial at the federal courthouse in Alexandria in 2006.
Virginia legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit Guantanamo Bay prisoners from being transferred to federal prisons or military bases in the commonwealth.
