PETALING JAYA: The two Malaysians who have been sent home after having been jailed in Guantanamo Bay for terrorism-related activities will continue to be monitored, with a comprehensive reintegration programme drawn up for them.
Mohammed Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir Lep, both of whom were detained by the United States since 2006 at the notorious detention camp in Cuba, are back in Malaysia, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed.
“The government has drawn up a comprehensive reintegration programme for the two, which includes support services, welfare and medical screenings.
“The ministry also expressed its appreciation to all government agencies that were involved in the successful handing off process of the two Malaysians,” Saifuddin Nasution said in a statement yesterday.
Later in the day, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the two showed positive behaviour and were open to being assessed and rehabilitated.
“They also stated their strong commitment to becoming progressive members of society.
“Everyone deserves a second chance and we will ensure they receive such an opportunity,” he said, adding that both were in good health.
They were grateful that they could return to Malaysia and eventually to their families, he added.
Razarudin said the police received both men yesterday after they were handed over.
They had pleaded guilty earlier in the year to being accessories in the 2002 Bali bombing that killed more than 200 people.
Both were held for years in the secretive overseas network of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) after being arrested in Thailand.
They were transferred to the Guantanamo military prison in 2006, but the military did not formally charge them at the war court until 2021.
In 2006, they were transferred to Guantanamo Bay to face trial in a special security court which was set up by former US president George W. Bush after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.
Also charged was Indonesian Encep Nurjaman, better known as Hambali.
In 2018, Mohammed Farik and Mohammed Nazir were charged with nine counts related to the bombing in the Bali nightclub that killed 202 people and the bombing of a hotel in 2003 where 11 were killed.
In their plea statement, both Malaysians agreed to testify against Hambali, the former leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah movement, according to a report in the New York Times.
The paper quoted Mohammed Nazir’s lawyer Brian Bouffard as saying his client planned to live a quiet life with his family.
Bouffard added that his client had been punished many times over for his long-ago involvement with the wrong people.
The paper also quoted Christine Funk, a lawyer for Mohammed Farik, as saying that he “looks forward to the opportunity to continue living a life of purpose, taking care of his parents and pursuing a career that best reflects his skills and talents”.
