Two Guantanamo detainees sent to Portugal; three more transfers expected soon

Two Gitmo detainees sent to Portugal

WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials said Friday that two Syrians held at Guantanamo Bay have been sent to Portugal.

United States officials announced the transfer without naming the detainees. There are only a handful of Syrians remaining among the detainees at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The latest transfers leave some 226 inmates there.

The transfer had been expected, since Portugal had said earlier this month it planned to take two detainees.

The Justice Department said the two were handed over to the control of the government of Portugal, but U.S. authorities would not say if that meant they would remain in custody there.

“We would not have proceeded with the transfers if the United States or Portugal had any security-related concerns that were not adequately addressed,” said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration notified Congress that it planned to transfer six detainees — one to Afghanistan, two to Portugal, and three others, but it is not yet clear where the remaining three are headed.

President Barack Obama has ordered the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to be closed by January 2010.