Washington - An Egyptian who is obese and ailing was declared eligible for release on Wednesday by a US government panel that reviews cases of those still held at the prison camp President Barack Obama has pledged to close.
The Periodic Review Board, which contains members from six US government agencies, said in a statement that Tariq El-Sawah, aged 57, no longer represented a threat to US national security.
The board "by consensus, determined continued law of war detention of the detainee is no longer necessary", it explained.