Trump might send captured ISIS fighters to Guantanamo, but critics warn this could turn them into recruiting posters for terrorism

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August 30, 2018 9:14 PM

The Trump administration is reportedly mulling a plan to send several captured, high-value ISIS fighters to the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, a move experts warn could turn them into martyrs and aid the terror group's recruiting efforts.

The Trump administration is reportedly mulling over a plan to send several captured, high-value ISIS fighters to the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.
Experts warn moving these ISIS fighters to Guantanamo could turn them into martyrs and aid the terror group's recruiting efforts.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International say the ISIS fighters should be tried in a federal court in the US.

The Trump administration is reportedly mulling over a plan to send several captured, high-value ISIS fighters to the highly controversial US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a move experts warn could turn them into martyrs and aid the terror group's recruiting efforts.

As part of this plan, hundreds of lower-level fighters other countries have refused to accept would be placed in an Iraqi prison, according to NBC News, which spoke with

Two of the high-value fighters the Trump administration is reportedly considering sending to Guantanamo were accused of the murder

Kotey and Elsheikh, members of a group of four jihadis nicknamed "The Beatles" due to the British accents, oversaw the beheadings of

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who has visited the facility where the hundreds of ISIS fighters are presently detained, strongly opposes sending Kotey and Elsheikh to Guantanamo. Shaheen is among those who believes doing so would turn them into martyrs, according to NBC's report, and wants them to be tried in a federal court in the US.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who joined Shaheen as she visited the facility in Syria in July, believes the high-value ISIS targets should be temporarily transferred to Guantanamo before being brought to the US for trial. But current US law would make this process difficult.

The National Security Council and State Department would not comment on discussions surrounding the fate of these detained ISIS fighters when contacted by NBC News.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pentagon told NBC, "

Former President Barack Obama pledged to close Guantanamo, also known as "Gitmo," but ultimately failed in this endeavor largely because of legal hurdles and obstinance in Congress.

But human rights groups like Amnesty International continue to call for the detention facility to be closed down.

Based on statements from President Donald Trump, Johnson says "there's a legitimate risk" the US may "return to torture.

"Th

Johnson noted there are still people detained indefinitely without trial at Guantanamo, including five who've been cleared to leave.

In this context, Johnson agrees with Shaheen that ISIS fighters like Kotey and Elsheikh should be tried in a federal court. He contends these men should be brought to justice, but in a way that respects international and US law.

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