WASHINGTON (AP) A 73-year-old from Pakistan who is the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was notified on Monday that he has been approved for release after more than 16 years in custody at the U.S. base in Cuba, his lawyer said.

Saifullah Paracha, who has been held on suspicion of ties to al-Qaida but never charged with a crime, was cleared by the prisoner review board along with two other men, said Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, who represented him at his hearing in November.

As is customary, the notification did not provide detailed reasoning for the decision and concluded only that Paracha is not a continuing threat to the U.S., Sullivan-Bennis said.

It does not mean his release his imminent. But it is a crucial step before the U.S. government negotiates a repatriation agreement with Pakistan for his return. President Joe Biden s administration has said it intends to resume efforts to close the detention center , a process that former President Donald Trump halted .

Parachas attorney said she thinks he will be returned home in the next several months.

The Pakistanis want him back, and our understanding is that there are no impediments to his return, she said.

A Pentagon spokesman had no immediate comment.