RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 21 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities are soon expected to release 120 Saudi prisoners who have been detained for years without charges at Guantanamo base in Cuba.
Saudi lawyer Kateb al-Shumri, the attorney of the prisoners' families, was quoted by daily Okaz as saying Friday that he expected an imminent breakthrough in the crisis of Saudi prisoners in a political decision by Washington.
Al-Shumri said a number of Saudi inmates in Guantanamo planned to file a law suit against the United States following their release.
"Many human rights groups back the idea which is also adopted by a number of lawyers," he said.
The head of the team of defense lawyers for the Saudi prisoners, Ahmed Mazhar said only 120 inmates are still detained in Guatanamo and not 132 as claimed by the Pentagon.
The Pentagon released a list of foreigners held in Guantanamo on suspicion of terrorism and the Saudi prisoners topped the list with 132, followed by 125 Afghanis and 107 Yemenis. In all, the list included 558 prisoners belonging to 40 countries in addition to the West Bank.
Of all the prisoners, only 10 were charged and are still being tried. Most of the prisoners were seized in Afghanistan and Pakistan on suspicion of links with al-Qaida and its allied Taliban Movement.
