By Ian Simpson, Jan. 27, 2015, Reuters.com

(Reuters) - A suspected al Qaeda fighter from Yemen on Tuesday faced a U.S. national security board weighing whether he should remain at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, with his representatives calling for his transfer.

The inmate, Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh, is suspected of fighting for al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He has been held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since February 2002.

Jarabh's hearing before the Periodic Review Board was to re-examine whether he should continue to be held without charge or be transferred back to Yemen or another country.

A statement read by Jarabh's military representatives said he had studied Spanish and English at Guantanamo, had headed a prison farm planning project and had taken up painting.