US releases Kenyan prisoner jailed for 18 Years at Guantánamo Bay without charges

The prisoner, Mohammed Abdul Bajabu was repatriated to Kenya on Tuesday, December 17, marking the first release from the wartime prison in over a year. 

Bajabu was among 780 prisoners brought to Guantánamo Bay under George Bush's tenure following a series of attacks in 2001. He was accused of plotting attacks against Israeli tourists in Kenya. 

An intelligence profile linked Bajabu to terrorist attacks that target Israelis on November 28, 2002, in Mombasa. The car bomb attack led to 13 deaths, majority of whom were Kenyans. 

Following the incident, Bajabu was arrested by Kenyan police officers in February 2007 and expatriated to US custody a few weeks later. 

The prisoner was, however, never charged with a crime and spent nearly 18 years in custody.

At the time, Bajabu's lawyer Mark Maher connected the prisoner to a London-based human rights group Reprieve, which helps detainees after their release. 

Maher sought Barabu's transfer from the US Periodic Review Board who approved the request.

The lawyer noted that Bajabu had two sisters residing in Kenya as well as a wife and children living in Somalia who would relocate to Kenya to live with him.