[JURIST] US Legal Adviser to the Secretary of State John Bellinger [official profile] told the Daily Telegraph on Friday that Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainees considered an ongoing threat to security will remain in custody indefinitely, regardless of whether there is sufficient evidence to try them before a military commission [JURIST news archive]. In an interview with the Telegraph, Bellinger said that "the remaining people - other than the ones who have been approved for release - really do pose a threat." Bellinger also indicated that there are no plans to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo for trial, saying that "at this point trials will be held on Guantanamo." The Daily Telegraph has more.

On Thursday, the Defense Department announced [statement] the return of 16 Guantanamo detainees to Saudi Arabia [JURIST report]. Last month, the State Department announced [statement], in the context of another release, that all detainees determined by Combatant Status Review Tribunals [DOD materials] not to be enemy combatants had been released from Guantanamo [JURIST report].