Officials: Man held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 a case of mistaken identity

Since 2002, Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri has been held at Guantanamo Bay as an enemy combatant, and on Tuesday, U.S. officials admitted that al-Shamiri was not the person they originally thought.

Al-Shamiri was believed to have been a courier and trainer for al Qaeda, but was actually a low-level Islamist foot soldier, The Guardian reports. During a hearing to discuss his possible release, the Department of Defense said that al-Shamiri did fight in Afghanistan for the Taliban from 2000 to 2001 and associated with al Qaeda members, but conceded he was not a significant catch, and they confused him with other men with similar names.

The 37-year-old Yemeni was previously considered too dangerous to be released, but there was not enough evidence to try him, The Guardian says. A representative for al-Shamiri said he is "not a continuing significant threat to the United States of America," and is "earnestly preparing" for life on the outside. Over the past 13 years, he has taken English and art classes, and learned carpentry and cooking skills. "Mustafa does have remorse for choosing the wrong path early in life," the representative said. "He has vocalized to us that while he cannot change the past, he would definitely have chosen a different path."

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