American authorities have transferred detainees from the Guantánamo Bay military prison to their home country of Malaysia.
This comes after they pleaded guilty to charges related to the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and agreed to testify against the alleged ringleader of that and other attacks.
According to prosecutors, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep worked for years with Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, an Indonesian leader of al-Qaida affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah. Officials said the two men helped Nurjaman escape capture after the 12 October 2002 bombings that killed 202 people at two-night spots in Bali.
The two men were initially sentenced to 23 years in confinement by a military jury, not counting time served. However, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Convening Authority approved sentences of confinement for around five years and recommended that they be repatriated or transferred to a third-party nation for the remainder of their sentence.
This came after they pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Nurjaman.
Nurjaman is in custody in Guantánamo awaiting resumption of pre-trail hearings in January involving the Bali bombings and other attacks.
Currently, 27 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay with 15 eligible for transfer, three eligible for a Periodic Review Board, seven involved in the military commission's process and two detainees that have been convicted and sentenced by military commissions.
On Tuesday Kenyan man, Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu was repatriated by US authorities after 17 years at Guantánamo without charge.
The U.S. is searching for suitable countries to take the other 15 detainees eligible for transfer.
