HOME Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Putrajaya has yet to decide if it wants to detain or free the two Malaysians it is currently seeking to repatriate from US detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Saifuddin said the government was still in discussions to seek the release of Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohd Farik Amin who have been under US custody for terrorism-related charges for more than 20 years.

“We have yet to reach that stage and we only met with them (US authorities) and read profiles and their current status.

“We have yet to reach the stage where their feet will touch Malaysian soil. Still at an early stage,” said Saifuddin after launching his ministry’s Madani programme at the Cheras Sports Complex.

Asked to comment on criticisms of government efforts to repatriate alleged terrorists, Saifuddin refused to answer.

“You can ask who viewed them as terrorists. They were detained in 2003 and now it is the year 2023; I’ve only been a minister for 10 months,” he said.

Nazir and Farik were among seven arrested over alleged involvement in the twin bombings that killed 202 people in Bali in October 2002 and the bombing at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta in August 2003 that killed 12.

The duo were reportedly detained in Thailand in 2003 and transferred to Central Intelligence Agency-operated black sites before being relocated to Guantanamo Bay in 2006.

After multiple delays in their trial, Singapore Straits Times reported last week that prosecutor George Kraehe recently proposed a trial date of March 2025. – October 1, 2023.