Man held at Guantanamo for 13 years 'case of mistaken identity', US admits

The US flag at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo / Getty Images

A man held for 13 years at Guantanamo Bay appears to have been a victim of mistaken identity, as US officials admitted they had confused him with al-Qaeda operatives with similar names.

When Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, a Yemeni national, was transported from Afghanistan to the US detention facility in Cuba, his captors believed he was a courier and trainer for al-Qaeda.

They have now determined he was a low-level Islamist fighter, but not part of the al-Qaeda chain of command.

Al-Shamiri, one of 107 detainees remaining at the detention camp, appeared on Wednesday before a panel tasked with determining whether he should be released.

A profile of al-Shamiri describes the role the Pentagon believed he had played within al-Qaeda, but concedes "we now judge that these activities were carried out by other known extremists with names or aliases similar to (al-Shamiri's)".

The profile does say that al-Shamiri "fought in several jihadist theatres and associated with al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan".

Al-Shamiri's representative at the hearing released a statement saying he was not a "significant threat" to the US and was "earnestly preparing for his life after Gitmo".

"He has demonstrated a consistent positive attitude towards life after Gitmo. He has a strong desire to obtain an education in order to provide for a future spouse that his family has already located for him," the statement reads.

President Barack Obama hopes to release or relocate the remaining Guantanamo prisoners and close the detention camp before the end of his presidency, a task his Administration admits will be extremely difficult.