Obama also announced he would suspend the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Yemen, where an al-Qaeda-linked group is said to have planned the failed attack.

President Obama: “With respect to Yemen, in particular, there’s an ongoing security situation which we have been confronting for some time, along with our Yemeni partner. Given the unsettled situation, I’ve spoken to the attorney general, and we’ve agreed that we will not be transferring additional detainees back to Yemen at this time. But make no mistake. We will close Guantanamo prison, which has damaged our national security interests and become a tremendous recruiting tool for al-Qaeda.”

Around half the 198 remaining Guantanamo prisoners are Yemeni nationals. Just under forty have already been cleared for release. In a statement, the Center for Constitutional Rights said, “Dozens of men from Yemen who have been cleared for release after extensive [government] scrutiny…are about to be left in limbo once more due to politics, not facts…Halting [their] repatriation is unconscionable.”