"Bottom line is, in my heart, if [Obama] had the opportunity to close this base, he’d do it tomorrow," Ken Fairben, who lost his son Keith on September 11, stated on Wednesday. "I’m hoping our Congress, our government absolutely stops him. Leave it here. Don’t mess with it."
The Obama administration maintains that the naval base at Guantanamo Bay is a threat to US national security because it is used by terrorist groups as a propaganda recruitment tool.
Family members of the victims said on Wednesday they are confident the accused terrorist attacks’ planners will remain at military base for the duration of the trial.
"We’ve been pretty much assured that the five perpetrators of September 11, they’re not going anywhere, and this trial will be held here," Diane Fairben, mother of the deceased Keith Fairben, said.
She explained noted that the outcome of the US presidential election in November is unlikely to affect the detention center’s status because closing it will still require legislative approval.
Last week, the US Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill that prohibits using defense funding toward the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center or for transferring detainees on the United States.