Uruguay: Ex-Gitmo detainee also tried to travel to Russia
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — A former Guantanamo Bay detainee resettled in Uruguay recently tried to travel to Russia in one of at least four attempts to leave the South American country, an official said Tuesday.
Syrian native Abu Wa’el Dhiab tried to board a flight to Russia but was turned away because he lacked an entry visa, said Christian Mirza, the government liaison with six ex-Guantanamo Bay inmates resettled in Uruguay.
Mirza said Dhiab’s failed trip took place between an attempt to enter South Africa last December and his recent deportation from Morocco after arriving with a false passport. Dhiab also went missing for weeks last year before turning up in Venezuela.
Dhiab returned to Uruguay’s capital over the weekend after being deported from Morocco. It is unclear how he got there.