“This transfer consolidated all 40 detainees from three to two detention facilities”, the department said in a press release. “This fiscally responsible decision will reduce the detention facility’s footprint and will eliminate maintenance requirements and costs incurred by Camp VII.”
While the release gave few details, Camp 7 has been used to house some of the most dangerous terrorists captured following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and several others accused of masterminding the 2001 terrorist strikes on New York and Washington.
Many of the detainees at Camp 7 were tortured with waterboarding and other techniques in secret CIA prisons overseas before being transferred to GITMO.
In February, shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden launched a formal review of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, also known as Gitmo, with the White House claiming the president intends to close prison before leaving office.
The Trump administration blocked a planned closure of Gitmo sought by former President Barack Obama.