U.S. State Department finds it ‘Shocking’ that Egypt would Execute Terrorists despite admitting that released Terrorist involved in Benghazi attack

At least one former Gitmo detainee has been implicated in the 2012 Benghazi attack that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. That detainee leads a group that can be found ensconced in Muslim Brotherhood ideology. This week, an Egyptian court sentenced more than 500 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death and Obama’s State Department isn’t at all happy about it.

Stephens: Released Gitmo detainee implicated in his death.

Stephens: Released Gitmo detainee implicated in his death.

State Department spokesman Marie Harf said at the March 25th daily press briefing that carrying out those sentences would be “unconscionable” and “shocking”.

One of Barack Obama’s campaign promises was to close Gitmo. What to do with the detainees has been a source of endless debate and hand-wringing. Recidivism has been a significant problem. In fact, one prisoner released from Gitmo – Sufian bin Qumu – has been implicated in the Benghazi attack by the U.S. State Department itself.

According to Israel National News, Harf said that Egypt “…must unequivocally ensure an environment that is free of intimidation or retribution”.

Keith Davies, of Shoebat.com said in response, “If the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization and members of that organization are sentenced to death, does that not promote such an environment?”

In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood has been designated as a terrorist organization. The ruling sends a clear signal that the new government there is adopting a strategy that includes killing terrorists to both send a message and prevent future terrorist attacks on innocent people.

At a Senate Committee hearing in 2013, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton infamously blurted out, “What difference – at this point – does it make?!” when she was asked to explain how four Americans in Benghazi lost their lives. The truth is that at least one former Gitmo detainee sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood’s cause – if not an outright member – looks to be at least partially responsible, which is both shocking and unconscionable, as were Hillary’s words at that hearing.

Hillary's apathy about Benghazi matched by former Gitmo detainee's involvement?

Hillary’s apathy about Benghazi matched by former Gitmo detainee’s involvement?

What Egypt understands and far too many Americans do not is that the Gitmo detainees in general, al-Qaeda members in particular, all roll up under the Muslim Brotherhood umbrella. The outrage expressed by Harf toward the Egyptian court ruling is conspicuously absent when it comes to the issue of recidivism of Gitmo detainees and the subsequent deaths perpetrated by released terrorists.

One year after the Benghazi attack, the Washington Free Beacon’s Bill Gertz reported that 100 hundred of the 603 terrorists released from Gitmo were confirmed to have returned to terrorism. In his report, Gertz quoted Thomas Joscelyn, a terrorism expert who writes for Long War Journal. Said Joscelyn, “…even detainees who are known to be very dangerous have rejoined the fight after leaving Guantanamo (Gitmo).”

There is no telling how many innocent people have lost their lives as a result of that level of recidivism. Had those 603 terrorists been sentenced to death, lives would have been saved.

Four of them may have been Ambassador Christopher Stephens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty.

**UPDATE at 6:52am EST on March 27, 2014**
Here is a short video of Harf’s statement on the sentences, via WFB:

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