Franklin Graham hits out at Obama after ex-Guantanamo detainee calls for jihad in Africa

Reuters

Franklin Graham has expressed anger over the Obama Administration's handling of terror suspects.

In a stinging Facebook post, evangelist Graham was highly critical of President Barack Obama's "terrorist catch-and-release policy".  "[It's] unreal," he wrote.

Graham was writing in response to an ABC report that Ibrahim Qosi, ex-Guantanamo detainee and the former driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, last week used social media to encourage jihad in Somalia. 

The SITE Intelligence Group translated a message attributed to Qosi on the Telegram messaging app as saying that fighters in Somalia should "continue the raid with a raid, and light up the ground beneath the feet of the Crusaders and team them that the lands of Islam are a fortress that is not allowed to the disbelievers, and a graveyard for the invaders."

"Victory is brought by blood and suffering, not by promises and wishes from every libertine," Qosi said.

Qosi was held in Guantanamo Bay for 10 years before being released in July 2012 after pleading guilty to conspiracy and supporting terrorism.  Just last week, Obama unveiled plans to close the controversial prison facility that has been dogged by abuse claims by former detainees.

In his Facebook post, Graham said it should not be a surprise that Qosi, who was at one time deemed "high risk", went on to become a top al Qaeda leader who is now using his position to call for jihad.

He said: "It's just a shame that our military are risking their lives—and giving their lives—to put these Islamic terrorists out of business and behind bars, only to have them put right back out there to do more damage ... Terrorists like this shouldn't be released."