USS Cole Commander Angry That The Guantanamo Detainee Linked To The USS Cole Bombing Was Released To Saudi Arabia

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) is towed away from the port city of Aden, Yemen, into open sea by the Military Sealift Command ocean-going tug USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168), in this file picture taken October 29, 2000. REUTERS/SGT. DON L./USA MARINE CORPS

Daily Mail: Commander of US Navy ship that was bombed in 2000, killing 17 crew, angry that man linked to attack was sent from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia 'without trial' - and may be free soon

* Mashur Abdallah Ahmed al Sabri was linked to the attack on the USS Cole
* He was transferred from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia on April 16
* Kirk Lippold, the Cole's commander, said al Sabri should have been tried
* Saudi Arabia runs a rehabilitation program for Islamic militants
* But an expert says they can't control Yemeni militants such as al Sabri
* He expects Yemeni detainees to be back fighting America 'soon'
* The transfer was part of President Obama's Guantanamo closure program

The commanding officer of a US missile destroyer that was attacked by terrorists in 2000 is furious that one of the men linked to the incident was released from Guantanamo Bay without a 'proper trial.'

Kirk Lippold, 41, was in charge of the USS Cole when it was bombed in the port of Aden, Yemen, in October 2000, in the deadliest attack on a US vessel since 1987.

The attack tore a hole in the side of the boat, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39 more. Now Mashur Abdallah Ahmed al Sabri, who was linked with the attack, is in Saudi Arabia, upsetting Lippold - and an expert says al Sabri could be free soon.

Read more ....

Update: USS Cole commander blasts transfer of Al Qaeda Gitmo detainees to Saudi Arabia (FOX News)

WNU Editor: This story has just been brought to my attention from a father of one of the sailors who was killed in the USS Cole bombing. To say that he is livid over the release of al Sabri is an understatement.

Cole Bomber Set To Face Military Judge At Guantanamo

The 2000 bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole, which left a gaping hole in the ship's side, killed 17 sailors and wounded more than 40. (U.S. Navy / October 12, 2000)

Cole Bombing Suspect's Guantanamo Trial To Begin -- L.A. Times

The military tribunal proceeding is a no-win situation for Abd al Rahim al Nashiri. It also highlights a continuing legal and ethical dilemma for the Obama administration.

Reporting from Washington — The first military tribunal of a terrorism suspect at Guantanamo Bay since President Obama was elected is a lose-lose proposition for the accused, a Saudi suspect who has been in U.S. custody for nearly a decade.

If convicted of directing the bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole in October 2000, Abd al Rahim al Nashiri could be sentenced to death. But even if he is acquitted of all charges, he can be held indefinitely as an "enemy combatant."

Read more ....

More News On The Upcoming Trial OF The Bombing Of The U.S. Destroyer Cole

Alleged USS Cole Bomber Facing Judge at Guantanamo -- ABC News/AP
USS Cole Suspect Arraignment Set For Wednesday -- FOX News
Accused Suspect in Cole Bombing Set to Face Military Judge at Guantanamo -- Voice of America
Ship bombing suspect in a Guantanamo Bay military courtroom Wednesday -- CNN
Saudi who was held in CIA prison faces war crimes trial at Guantanamo for USS Cole attack -- Washington Post

Former Commander Of USS Cole Speaks Out

Former Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who commanded the USS Cole when terrorists
struck it in October 2000, killing 17. FNC

Former Commander Of USS Cole Sees 'Justice Denied' For Victims Of Terror Attack -- FOX News

WASHINGTON — It was just before lunch on Oct. 12, 2000, when a suicide bomber slammed the side of the USS Cole off the Coast of Yemen, and in the minds of those who were there, it was the beginning of the War on Terror.

"The biggest thing people fail to realize is they look at 9/11 as the start on the War on Terror," said Kirk Lippold, former commander of the Cole. "The reality is that the war on terrorism started not on 9/11, but 10/12."

Now retired from the Navy, Lippold rarely talks about the day when he lost 17 sailors, but he spoke exclusively with FOX News about those dark moments after the attack.

Read more ....

My Comment: My blood boils every time I read a story on the U.S.S. Cole. This story is no exception.

U.S. Frustrated By Freed Terrorists

From FOX News:

It's been called "the forgotten attack" but it's one of the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history.

Eight years after the USS Cole was attacked by a motorboat packed with explosives, all of the six men convicted of the strike have escaped from prison, or been freed by Yemeni officials.

Seventeen sailors were killed and 40 more wounded in the strike, blamed on Usama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Jamal al-Badawi, who helped organize the Cole plot, has reportedly escaped from Yemeni prisons twice. He is supposedly back in jail now, but the Washington Post reported that he has been spotted at his home and is apparently able to come and go around town as he pleases.

Read more ....

Update: Yemeni Rebel Leader Warns Of Escalation -- Yahoo News

My Comment: This can only make your blood boil.