Will Egypt Help the U.S. Recapture Known Terrorists?

Nick Gillespie | June 10, 2011

Washington Times national security correspondent (and occasional Reason contributor) Eli Lake reports on another Obama admin foreign policy failure. In the wake of the revolt that saw dictator Hosni Mubarak leave office, "scores" of terrorists were either released or escaped from prisons along with other dangerous criminals:

The U.S. list of Egyptian terrorists thought to be at large includes Rifa Ahmed Taha, also known as Abu Yasser. He was one of the original signatories of Osama bin Laden’s declaration of war against the United States and, until his 2001 rendition and detention in Egypt, was considered a senior leader of the Egyptian Islamic Group.

Also on the list is Mohammed Omar Abdel-Rahman, the son of the man known as the “Blind Sheik,” or Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving a life sentence in a federal prison for plotting bombings of New York City tunnels in the 1990s.

Also on the list are Shawky Salama Mostafa and Mohammed Hassan Mahmoud, who are connected to al Qaeda and were captured by U.S. forces in 1998 in Albania but sent to Egypt for trial. Many other members of that cell from the 1990s in Albania are at large.

So far, Egypt has not been helping out and Lake calls the characterizes the Obama admin's efforts as "quiet and largely fruitless."

Read the whole thing here.

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WTF|6.10.11 @ 7:50AM|#

Obama admin's efforts as "quiet and largely fruitless."

I am shocked, shocked at the failure of Obama's smart diplomacy.

|6.10.11 @ 7:50AM|#

In Obama's defense, how was this his diplomatic failure? There was a revolution and as in a lot of revolutions some bad people got out of jail in the chaos. What was Obama supposed to do about it?

WTF|6.10.11 @ 7:51AM|#

You make a fair point, there really was little he could do, but you have to admit his diplomatic efforts in most areas have been pretty clueless.

Wind Rider|6.10.11 @ 8:03AM|#

As are the vast majority of diplomatic efforts - clueless. And often worse than worthless.

DJF|6.10.11 @ 8:15AM|#

Since American diplomatic efforts usually involved throwing money at other countries then they are as you said “worse then useless”.

They have already promised 40 billion and who knows how much more after that.

a|6.10.11 @ 9:39AM|#

Wow, Eli Lake is so full of shit that even John can swat him down.

|6.10.11 @ 10:14AM|#

What was Obama supposed to do about it?

About people getting out of jail? Probably not much.

About getting the bad actors recaptured? That's different.

|6.10.11 @ 1:43PM|#

""About getting the bad actors recaptured? That's different.""

He could very well be trying. I don't expect our government to come out and say what they are doing about it.

State Dept.|6.10.11 @ 8:00AM|#

Oops.

Wind Rider|6.10.11 @ 8:04AM|#

They're still mulling the consideration that it's easier to shoot them with hellfire's from Predators when they're loose and running around. Shooting them while they were still in jail wouldn't have been sporting, now would it?

Wind Rider|6.10.11 @ 8:05AM|#

The final hurdle is probably that they aren't AmCits, so this raises the administration's angst level through the roof.

Sinic|6.10.11 @ 8:10AM|#

If I were Muslim, I'd want a name like Shawky Salama Mostafa.

Bawney Fwank|6.10.11 @ 8:28AM|#

Me, too!

Mr. President|6.10.11 @ 8:11AM|#

Mubarak must leave.

But the terrorists must stay! The terrorists must stay!

Too late?

rather|6.10.11 @ 8:17AM|#

Please, like they haven't been GPS'd like dogs.
OK, I can only hope

Muslim Brotherhood|6.10.11 @ 9:09AM|#

Our bad.

scarpe Nike Store|7.28.11 @ 4:45AM|#

is good

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