A Kuwaiti detainee held for three years at the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was returned to his country Sunday.
Nasser al-Mutairi was being questioned by authorities Sunday.
Al-Mutairi arrived just after midnight on a Kuwaiti government jet, Kahlid al-Odah, chairman of a group representing the detainees' families, told United Press International in a telephone interview.
"He was happy but exhausted," said al-Odah, adding that he was lucid, though weak and somewhat unsteady on his feet. "He was so skinny, when I hugged him, I could count his ribs."
After a brief reunion with his brother, al-Mutairi was escorted away by security officials. "They want to clear up why he was [in Afghanistan] and what he was doing there," said al-Odah. "They also want to know what's happening at Guantanamo Bay."
Some 550 detainees are being held at the Naval base. Defined by the U.S. government as "unlawful combatants," they have been held without charge or trial and have been interrogated by the U.S. military.
A statement from the Pentagon Sunday said al-Mutairi was being transferred to Kuwait "for prosecution," but his U.S. lawyer, Tom Wilner, told UPI, he doubted that any further action would be taken.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
