US releases Guantanamo Bay’s oldest prisoner after holding him two decades without charge

Guantanamo Bay’s oldest prisoner has been released after being held for nearly two decades without charges.

Seventy-five-year-old Saifullah Paracha was transferred to the detention centre in 2004 following his capture during an FBI sting operation in Thailand. Mr Paracha, who was 56 at the time, was accused of meeting Osama Bin Laden and helping 9/11 orchestrators “facilitate financial transactions and propaganda.”

The Pakistani national, who was never charged with any crimes but was considered too dangerous to be released, has since been repatriated, the Pakistani government said in a statement.

“The Foreign Ministry completed an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate [the] repatriation of Mr Paracha. We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the statement read.

At the time of his capture, Mr Paracha was a legal resident of the United States. He lived in the New York City borough of Queens and managed various businesses including real estate, travel agencies and a media company, The New York Times reported.

Mr Paracha, who obtained his green card in 1980, has denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks and affiliation with Al-Qaeda.

During the sting operation, Mr Paracha was tricked by officials pretending to be Kmart representatives, who told him they needed to meet him in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss a deal. In July 2003, he was captured by FBI agents at the airport.

Mr Paracha was then taken to the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, where he was initially held. He suffered a heart attack a little over a year into his imprisonment and was moved to Guantanamo Bay.

He unsuccessfully appealed for his release, claiming he did not know the true identity of Khalid Shaik Mohammed, who Mr Paracha helped facilitate financial transactions. Mohammed, 58, dubbed “the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks” in the 9/11 Commission Report, is among 35 detainees at Guantanamo.

Mr Paracha also allegedly met with Osama bin Laden during a delegation of Pakistani dignitaries, the Times reports.

Mr Paracha experienced several health ailments during the time he was detained. He refused treatment for his heart issues at Guantanamo. The Times reports that he will be living with his son in Pakistan and is expected to receive medical care.

Mr Paracha’s son, Uzair Paracha, was also arrested around the time of the FBI operation that led to his father’s capture. Uzair Paracha’s 30-year prison sentence over charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation was overturned in 2020.

He was released after serving 17 years in prison and requested to relinquish his lawful resident status.