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Duncan Hunter: al-Qaida Operative Likely Released to Free Hostages
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 08:49 PM
By: Greg Richter
Rep. Duncan Hunter says he suspects convicted al-Qaida operative Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was released from prison to his native Qatar two years early in an effort to free American hostages, but he still thinks it was a bad idea.
"I think it has something to do with the way that we're trying to get hostages back, and prisoners in Afghanistan," the California Republican and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."
"Why would you do this when you still have Marines and soldiers in harm's way?" Hunters said. "Why would you release somebody like this? It's just kind of crazy."
Al-Marri was sentenced to eight years in prison for planning more 9/11-style attacks on American water reservoirs, the New York Stock Exchange, U.S. military academies, and other targets. He was allegedly planted as a sleeper operative by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, National Review Online reported.
Al-Marri was held in a U.S. prison and not at the U.S. military facility in Guantanamo Bay. The White House said his sudden release on Tuesday was for "time served," and was not unusual.
Hunter said the Obama administration wants to treat terrorists like common criminals, but added, "You can't release bad guys back in the line of duty while you're still at war."
