RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia received seven more Guantanamo inmates Wednesday who will be questioned by the authorities before being release.
Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said efforts are continuing to secure the repatriation of all Saudi prisoners held in the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The minister said he was pleased with the "level of cooperation by the concerned authorities in the United States" in releasing the inmates who were captured in Afghanistan as part of the U.S. war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Wednesday's repatriation of the seven men raises the number of released Saudis held in Guantanamo to 60; in addition to two bodies of Saudi prisoners the U.S. authorities said had committed suicide in detention.
The prisoners arrived on a private Saudi plane and were immediately whisked away by local security officers for interrogation to verify whether they are innocent of terrorism.
The authorities said they have informed their families of their return, adding that many of the former Guantanamo inmates who returned have been freed.
Some 67 Saudis remain in the notorious U.S. military prison, but Riyadh expects all of them to be repatriated in batches.
