U.S. House backs Guantanamo prisoner transfer

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to allow foreign terrorism suspects from the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States to face trial.

The 307 to 114 vote removes one of many roadblocks the Obama administration faces as it tries to empty the internationally condemned prison by January.

The measure, included in a $42.8 billion (26.3 billion pounds) bill to fund the Homeland Security Department, must be passed by the Senate before President Barack Obama can sign it into law.

Republicans had argued that allowing suspects to face trial in U.S. courts could create security risks and extend American legal protections to those who do not deserve them. But their attempt to strip the measure from the spending bill failed.

Obama ordered the detention camp closed on his second day in office and gave officials a year to do it, but they have run into numerous legal, political and diplomatic hurdles.

Not least among those has been Congress, even though Obama's fellow Democrats control the House and the Senate.

Many lawmakers have objected to plans to house terrorism suspects in U.S. prisons, worrying that they could invite additional terrorist attacks.

The prison has been condemned worldwide for harsh interrogations that took place there, and administration officials have argued that it serves as a recruiting symbol for groups like al Qaeda.