Terror suspects

Two Tunisian Guantanamo inmates arrived in the Italian city of Milan late on Monday. Abel Ben Mabrouk bin Hamida Boughanmi and Mohammed Tahir Riyadh Nasseri are to be tried on international terrorism charges.

"Both the detainees are the subject of detention orders by Italian judicial authorities and they will be put on trial in Italy," the Italian justice ministry said in a statement.

Nasseri was captured in Afghanistan and Boughanmi was caught on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Both men previously lived in Italy and have been held at the Guantanamo prison for more than seven years.

Nasseri is wanted in Italy for aiding illegal immigration, association with criminals and links to the terror group al-Qaida, Italy's ANSA news agency said.

Boughanmi is suspected of being a member of an Islamist militant cell in Milan, ANSA said.

Prosecutors said the two men were also part of a group that provided logistical support to a militant cell recruiting suicide attackers for operations in countries including Afghanistan.

The transfer was part of an agreement signed in September by Italian Justice Minister Angelino Alfano and US Attorney General Eric Holder. The Italian Justice Ministry said the deal underscored Italy's commitment to help close Guantanamo.

US President Barack Obama vowed during his first week in office last January that he would close the controversial prison site within a year.

However, so far Washington has had limited success in persuading third countries to accept inmates, and only a handful of prisoners are scheduled to face trial in US civilian courts.

Monday's transfer leaves 213 prisoners at the Guantanamo facility, which was set up by former US president George W. Bush to hold terror suspects from around the world.

nk/Reuters/AFP/AP
Editor: Chuck Penfold