Charleston, SC - The state’s top prosecutor says no to terror suspects in the Lowcountry. Attorney General Henry McMaster took a tour at the Navy Brig today. McMaster is against the idea of moving terror suspects here, or anywhere in the United States. As a matter of fact, he says there is no reason to close Gitmo in the first place.

Located far from the mainland, and home to dozens of enemy combatants, Attorney General Henry McMaster calls Guantanamo Bay the ideal place to hold dangerous people.

“That facility was made for that purpose and there is not one in the U.S. for that purpose,” said McMaster.

President Obama vows to close down Gitmo, which means the accused terrorists must be housed somewhere else and all signs point to the Navy Brig in Hanahan as one possible option.

“Promise or not, to close down that facility and bring those terrorists who want to destroy this country into this country makes us all targets,” said McMaster.

McMaster walked the facility Monday morning, taking a closer look at the cells, the personnel, and the procedures for housing enemy combatants, like convicted Al Qaeda sleeper agent, Ali Al Marri, who spent six years behind these walls.

“The problem is terrorists don’t go after the hard targets, the go after the soft targets which is the surrounding cities and towns,” said McMaster.

McMaster confident in the ability of local enforcement and the military to handle the situation if it becomes a reality, but he says it’s a risk to public safety not worth taking.

The Obama administration set a January 2010 deadline to close Guantanamo Bay, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it's unlikely that deadline will be met.

 

 

 

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