Washington  - Three Saudi detainees being held at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba were returned to their homeland on Friday, the US Justice Department said.

Khalid Saad Mohammed, Abdalaziz Kareem Salim al-Noofayaee and Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair will be subject to judicial review in Saudi Arabia and will undergo a rehabilitation programme.

The men were approved for transfer from Guantanamo after a review by the Obama administration and had earlier been cleared for transfer by the administration of George W Bush.

On Thursday, four Uighur detainees held for years at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay were resettled on the Atlantic island of Bermuda.

Earlier this week the United States transferred two other detainees, an Iraqi and Chadian, to their home countries as President Barack Obama tries to clear and shut down the prison by January. There are 229 detainees still at Guantanamo.

The United States is reportedly nearing a deal that could send some of the 100 Yemenis to Saudi Arabia. Yemenis make up the largest group at Guantanamo. Washington opposes sending them home because it believes security measures in Yemen are inadequate. (dpa)