Convicted 9/11 Terrorism Set Free in Syria

I’m deeply troubled by reports that convicted 9/11 terrorist Mohammed Haydar Zammar has been set free in Syria. Zammar was being held by the Assad regime while serving a 12-year sentence. Recently, it seems that Zammar was released in a prisoner swap deal with the Syrian terrorist group Ahrar al-Sham.

Zammar is said to have been personally invited by Osama bin Laden to a terrorist training camp in 1996, and was the organizer for a travel service that shuttled terrorists to the region before the Sept. 11 attack on the United States. Zammar helped to recruit convicted 9/11 terrorist Mohammed Atta. Letting dangerous old-school terrorists like Zammar roam free is a dangerous proposition.

As a German citizen, there is speculation that Zammar may try to return home. I hope that the U.S. government and our German allies do everything possible to prevent dangerous men like Zammar from returning to an active role in al-Qaeda.