[JURIST] The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs [official website] declared Wednesday that Kenya's government is attempting to secure the release of Kenyan native Mohammed Abdumalik, who is currently detained at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. The news was revealed in a letter [AP report] to Abdulmalik's family, informing them that the government will ask the United States to release the detainee. Abdulmalik's family filed a $30 million lawsuit [JURIST report] against the Kenyan government last year, claiming that Abdulmalik was illegally detained, tortured, and rendered to US authorities.

Abdulmalik was originally arrested by the Kenyan Anti-terrorism Police Unit in Mombasa in 2007 in connection with the 2002 bombing of a resort hotel [NYT report] and a failed attempt [BBC report] to shoot down an Israeli charter plane. He was then taken into US custody and eventually transferred to Guantanamo [DOD press release] where he allegedly confessed [HRW report] to the crimes, although his Combatant Status Review Tribunal [official website] report is still classified. British human rights group Reprieve [advocacy website], which has helped Abdulmalik's family, stated [Standard report] that the case points out the illegal means by which detainees have ended up in Guantanamo. Kenyan authorities deny [GlobalSecurity report] arresting Abdulmalik, whom they claim is not a Kenyan citizen, and handing him over to the US military.