US lists terrorism suspects

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has released its most extensive list of foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, providing the names and nationalities of 558 detainees who went through a hearing process there.

The Pentagon posted the 11-page list on its website in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by AP.

Starting with the arrival from Afghanistan of the first group of 20 shackled and masked detainees on January 11, 2002, the United States had never until now released a comprehensive list of the names and nationalities of the prisoners at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Pentagon long resisted providing the information, citing security concerns such as keeping groups like al Qaeda in the dark about who was imprisoned. The US previously identified some detainees in legal documents, while the names of hundreds had been made public by their relatives or lawyers.

While the new list provided by the Pentagon contained 558 names, there are now about 490 detainees. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Todd Vician, a Pentagon spokesman, said the list included some detainees who went through the review process but had since left the base.

- REUTERS