Chinese Terrorists Release in U.S. Imminent

Should foreigners picked up conducting terrorist training with Al Qaeda and subsequently held at Guantanamo Bay just be released into our communities, no questions asked? Believe it or not, it could happen. And soon.

The Obama administration is ready to release a number of Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 into the United States, according to several recent press reports.

Information I have received, however, indicates that the 17 Uighurs being held at Guantanamo may be more dangerous than the public has been led to believe. Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have reportedly raised serious concerns about the release of the 17 detainees, who are said to be members of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, a terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda.

To be clear, we are not talking about transferring these folks to prisons in the United States. They would released, free and clear. They would be walking our streets, shopping in our malls, eating in our restaurants.

Last Friday, I wrote President Obama asking that all the information about the capture and detention of the 17 Uighurs — including a threat assessment for each detainee who would be released into the United States — be declassified and released to the public. Any intelligence assessment of the Uighurs also must take into account not only their previous training at terrorist camps but their potential subsequent exposure to the likes of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 who also took pleasure in beheading Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The American people have a right to know all the facts. Following the precedent the Obama administration set in declassifying the Office of Legal Counsel interrogation memos, it has a moral obligation to declassify all relevant information related to the Uyghur detainees. This administration has already shown that it has no qualms about releasing selected classified documents. It can’t just pick and choose what classified information it deems worthy of releasing.