From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Abdullah Bin Omar
Abdullah Bin Omar
Abdullah Bin Omar A. The detainee is associated with forces
that are engaged in hostilities against
Born June 28, 1958(1958-06-28) the United States and its coalition
Massoulta, Tunisia
partners.
Detained Guantanamo 1. The detainee moved to Pakistan
at between 1990-1992.
ISN 721 2. The detainee’s son-in-law was also
arrested.
Charge(s) convicted in absentia in Tunisia – didn’t know 3. The detainee’s son-in-law is
about the Tunisian conviction when returned
to Tunisia. identified by the Tunisian
government as 1 of 4 of the most
Abdullah Bin Omar is a citizen of Tunisia formerly held in dangerous operatives in defense of
extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo the Islamic cause.
Bay detention camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Intern- 4. The detainee’s son-in-law was also
ment Serial Number was 721. Joint Task Force Guan- identified by a senior al-Qaida
tanamo counter-terrorism analysts report he was born lieutenant as a document forger in
on June 28, 1958, in Massoulta, Tunisia.[1] Pakistan who received financial
He was sentence to 12-year prison term in Tunisia for assistance from al-Qaida.
some involvement with "Front Islamique de Tunisie" in 5. The detainee stayed at a home
the 1990s but was freed from prison in Tunisia early 2011 owned by an al Qaida supporter.
“as part of a promise by the interim government to free 6. An al Qaida supporter helped moved
all political prisoners.” [2][3] al-Qaida members from Afghanistan
into Pakistan.
7. The detainee’s name was on a list of
Combatant Status Review Tri- al-Qaida members found in a home
bunal by Coalition forces in December
2001.
Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could 8. The detainee was captured in
withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions Pakistan in April 2002.
to captives from the war on terror. This policy was chal-
lenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the Administrative Review Board
USA could not evade its obligation to conduct competent
Detainees whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal la-
tribunals to determine whether captives are, or are not,
beled them "enemy combatants" were scheduled for an-
entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.
nual Administrative Review Board hearings. These hear-
Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted
ings were designed to assess the threat a detainee may
the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals,
pose if released or transferred, and whether there are
however, were not authorized to determine whether the
other factors that warrant his continued detention.[5]
captives were lawful combatants -- rather they were mere-
ly empowered to make a recommendation as to whether
the captive had previously been correctly determined to
First annual Administrative Review
match the Bush administration’s definition of an enemy Board
combatant. A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Abdullah
Bin Omar’s first annual Administrative Review Board, on
Summary of Evidence memo 12 August 2005.[6] The memo listed factors for and
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Abdullah against his continued detention.
Bin Omar’s Combatant Status Review Tribunal, on 3 The following primary factors favor continued detention
November 2004.[4] The memo listed the following allega-
tions against him: a. Commitment
1. According to Foreign Government
service reports, the detainee is
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Abdullah Bin Omar
known for having involvement with 5. Nur Zaman is a known member of
terrorist activities in the 1980s. Lashkar-I-Tayyiba.
2. The detainee was provided with 6. Lashkar-I-Tayyiba (LT) an armed
false travel documentation and he wing of the Pakistan based religious
traveled to Afghanistan either organizaiton Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-
through Pakistan or Iran. irshad (MOI) a Sunni anit United
3. Detainee traveled to Pakistan under States missionary organization
Usama Bin Ladin’s protection. formed in 1989. LT operatives have
4. Detainee was in charge of the facilitated the movement of al Qaida
Tunisian guesthouse and was members in Pakistan.
responsible for greeting new 7. A man known to facilitate
arrivals in Afghanistan. movement of al-Qaida members
idenitified Nur Zaman and stated
b. Training Zaman assisted him in moving al-
1. The Khaldan training camp provided Qaida members in Pakistan.
a six-month training program that 8. It was stated by an al-Qaida
consisted of light weapons, heavy facilitator that Nur Zaman was
weapons, explosives, topography trusted by al-Qaida and facilitated
and a tactical course. the movement of Arabs into
2. The Khaldan camp had tunnels used Afghanistan, and likely met Usama
by the Taliban and al-Qaida as Bin Ladin from Zaman’s days in the
shelters. training camps in Afghanistan.
3. The Derunta training camp provided 9. The detainee stayed in a Zahidan,
a two-week poisons course. Iran guesthouse run by Abd Al-
4. The Derunat training camp was Ghaffar Al-Libi. During this time, he
known to house senior al-Qaida met another guest, Nasir Al-
members. Maghribi.
5. The Derunta camp also had random 10. Nasir Al-Maghribi is a member of
areas for test firing of explosives the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.
and weapons. 11. Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)
6. Reports state the detainee attended emerged in 1995 and is aligned with
al-Qaida training camps and Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida
specialized in anti-aircraft missiles, organization and is active in the
and eventually became a camp international mujahidin network.
trainer.
The following primary factors favor release or transfer
c. Connections/Associations
1. The detainee’s name appeared on a a. Detainee denied being a member of
spreadsheet account of stipend any militant groups when he lived in
assistance provided to al Qaida Tunisia.
operative families covering a six-
month period of May to October b. Detainee stated he does not know
2002. The spreadsheet was found on anything about the Taliban.
a 20-gigabyte laptop computer hard
drive associated with al Qaida c. Detainee denied receiving any type of
financial operative Mustafa Ahmad military or weapons training, even
Al-Hawsawi. when he lived in Tunisia.
2. Al-Hawsawi, an al-Qaida financial
d. Detainee stated after he moved to
manager, was known to provide
Pakistan, he never left Pakistan and
funds for the September 11
never went to Afghanistan.
hijackers.
3. The detainee lived in Lahore,
Pakistan at the home of Nur Zaman.
Second annual Administrative Review
4. Pakistani Police arrested the Board
detainee in the home that he was A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Abdullah
renting from Nur Al Zaman. Bin Omar’s second annual Administrative Review Board,
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Abdullah Bin Omar
on 25 April 2006.[7] The memo listed factors for and lieutenant. The senior al Qaida
against his continued detention. lieutenant said that the detainee
The following primary factors favor continued detention was friendly with the Libyans who
had left the Libyan Islamic Fighting
a. Commitment Group.
The detainee was in charge of the 9. The senior al Qaida lieutenant was
Tunisian guest house and was in charge of Usama bin Laden’s
responsible for greeting new camps.
arrivals to Afghanistan. 10. An al Qaida facilitator stayed with
the detainee in Afghanistan.
b. Training
Reporting states the detainee The following primary factors favor release or transfer
attended al Qaida training camps,
specialized in anti-aircraft missiles a. The detainee denied having any
and eventually became a camp knowledge of the attacks in the United
trainer. States prior to their execution on 11
September 2001, and also denied
c. Connections/Associations knowledge of any rumors or plans of
1. According to foreign government future attacks on the United States or
service reports, the detainee is United States interests.
known for having involvement with
terrorist activities in the 1980s. b. The detainee stated that he was not a
2. The detainee traveled to Pakistan member of any type of group of
under Usama bin Laden’s protection. organization while he lived in Pakistan.
3. The detainee’s name appeared on a He also stated if he ever wanted to be a
spreadsheet account of stipend member of some type of group he would
assistance provided to al Qaida have stayed in Tunisia.
operative families covering a six-
month period from May to October c. The detainee denied being a member
2002. The spreadsheet was found on of any militant groups when he lived in
a 20-gigabyte laptop computer hard Tunisia. He stated one group, called the
drive associated with al Qaida Tablighs, were missionaries and he
financial operative Mustafa Ahmad enjoyed listening to them in the
al Hawsawi. mosques. The detainee stated they were
4. Al Hawsawi, an al Qaida financial not a militant organization, not did he
manager, was known to have belong to the group.
provided funds for the 11 September
2001 hijackers. d. The detainee stated he does not know
5. Pakistani police arrested the anything about the Taliban. He also
detainee in the home he was renting stated he does not know anyone who
from Nur al Zaman. was a member of the Taliban.
6. Nur al Zaman is a known member of
e. The detainee stated that after he
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.
moved to Pakistan he never left
7. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba an armed wing of
Pakistan and never went to
the Pakistan-based religious
Afghanistan.
organization Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-
irshad, a Sunni anti-United States Transcript and missing documents
missionary organization, formed in
The decision documents from his second Review Board
1989. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba operatives
was heavily redacted. One unredacted paragraph, enti-
have facilitated the movement of al
tled: "Written and/or Oral Testimony from the EC", stated:[8]
Qaida members in Pakistan.
8. A senior al Qaida lieutenant claimed
When questioning the EC why he did not want to
he met the detainee in Jalalabad,
attend the ARB, the EC stated, "I am not ready to
Afghanistan and added the detainee
appear or have any desire to appear before the
to the list of individuals who
board. Some of these allegations are new to me and
received aid from the senior al Qaida
are made up stories." The EC provided comments
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Abdullah Bin Omar
in response to the information in the Unclassified the extent he could not read it, and had no idea what it
Summary of Evidence. These comments are docu- said.[15]
mented in Exhibit EC-B Abdullah al-Hajji Ben Amor was convicted on Wed-
nesday, November 14, 2007 of belonging to terrorist or-
No transcript was published from the unclassified session ganization.[16] He was sentenced to seven years impris-
of his hearing. Neither was his written response to the onment.
factors published. Human Rights Watch reports that in 1995 he was con-
The Department of Defense has not offered an expla- victed in absentia on the same charge.[17] Human Rights
nation as to why the documents were withheld. Watch says that "...neither the Tunisians nor Americans
ever informed him of the 1995 conviction before sending
Board recommendations him home."
In early September 2007 the Department of Defense re- He was freed from prison in Tunisia early 2011 “as
leased two heavily redacted memos, from his Board, to part of a promise by the interim government to free all
Gordon England, the Designated Civilian Official.[8][9] The political prisoners.”[3]
Board’s recommendation was unanimous The Board’s
recommendation was redacted. England authorized his
transfer on 10 October 2006. References
[1] OARDEC (May 15, 2006). "List of Individuals
Guantanamo records Detained by the Department of Defense at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through
There is no record that Bin Omar chose to participate in May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of
either his Combatant Status Review Tribunal or his Ad- Defense. http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/
ministrative Review Board. d20060515%20List.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
Bin Omar had at least two habeas corpus petitions [2] LeMonde article about bin Omar’s conviction in
submitted on his behalf.[10] The Department of Defense Tunisia
published documents from 179 Guantanamo captives’ [3] ^ http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2011/02/
Combatant Status Review Tribunals.[11] The Department 04/guantanamo-a-tale-of-two-tunisians/
did not publish documents from any of Bin Omar’s [4] OARDEC (3 November 2004). "Summary of Evidence
habeas cases. for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Omar,
Abdullah Bin". United States Department of
Release Defense. pp. page 89. http://www.dod.mil/pubs/
foi/detainees/csrt_arb/000500-000599.pdf#89.
On March 9, 2007 Christopher Chang, of the human rights Retrieved 2008-05-06.
group Reprieve announced that the US Government had [5] "Annual Administrative Review Boards for Enemy
agreed to release Bin Omar.[12] Combatants Held at Guantanamo Attributable to
On June 19, 2007 six men were released from Guan- Senior Defense Officials". March 6, 2007.
tanamo.[13] According to the Miami Herald, the Center for http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/
Constitutional Rights identified one of the men as Abdul- transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3902. Retrieved
lah Bin Omar. They said he was 51 years old, not 48 as the November 12, 2010.
DoD claimed. [6] OARDEC (12 August 2005). "Unclassified Summary
of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the
Tunisian detention case of Omar, Abdullah Bin". United States
Department of Defense. pp. pages 52–54.
Clive Stafford Smith has reported that Abdullah Bin Omar http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/
has been tortured since he returned to Tunisia.[14] ARB_Round_1_Factors_000595-000693.pdf#52.
Stafford Smith reported that Tunisian interrogators have Retrieved 2008-05-05.
threatened to rape Abdullah Bin Omar’s wife and daugh- [7] OARDEC (25 April 2006). "Unclassified Summary of
ter. Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the
Stafford Smith wrote that he was in Guantanamo, case of Omar, Abdullah Bin". United States
waiting to meet with Abdullah Bin Omar, when he re- Department of Defense. pp. pages 89–91.
ceived an email, informing him that, since his arrival at http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/
Guantanamo, he had been repatriated to Tunisia.[14] ARB_Round_2_Factors_700-798.pdf#89. Retrieved
Jennifer Daskal, writing in the Washington Post, re- 2008-05-05.
ported that after several days of abusive interrogation [8] ^ OARDEC (5 May 2006). "Classified Record of
and sleep deprivation, he was forced to sign some kind Proceedings and basis of Administrative Review
of document, even though his vision had deteriotaed to Board recommendation for ISN 721". United States
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Abdullah Bin Omar
Department of Defense. pp. pages 75–81. [15] Jennifer Daskal (September 2, 2007). "A Fate Worse
http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ Than Guantanamo". Washington Post. p. B03.
ARB_Round_2_Decision_memos_359-450.pdf#75. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
Retrieved 2008-05-05. content/article/2007/08/31/
[9] OARDEC (30 September 2006). "Administrative AR2007083101463.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
Review Board assessment and recommendation ICO [16] Caitlin Price (November 14, 2007). "Tunisia court
ISN 721". United States Department of Defense. pp. convicts former Guantanamo Bay detainee on
page 74. http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/ terror charges". The Jurist.
csrt_arb/ http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/11/
ARB_Round_2_Decision_memos_359-450.pdf#74. tunisia-court-convicts-former.php. Retrieved
Retrieved 2008-05-05. 2007-11-18.
[10] "Respondents’ response to Court’s August 7, 2006 [17] "Abdullah al-Hajji Ben Amor". Human Rights
order" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Watch. http://hrw.org/reports/2007/tunisia0907/
August 15, 2006. Archived from the original on 2.htm#_Toc175903611. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
October 25, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/
20071025202030/http://www.pegc.us/archive/
OK_v_Bush/govt_resp_to_GK_20060815.pdf.
External links
Retrieved 2008-06-23. • “We would rather be back in Guantánamo,” say
[11] OARDEC (August 8, 2007). "Index for CSRT Records Tunisians Abdullah bin Omar and Lofti Lagha,
Publicly Files in Guantanamo Detainee Cases" returned in June Andy Worthington
(PDF). United States Department of Defense. • Out of Guantánamo, and into the fire: conviction of
http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ ex-detainee in Tunisia casts doubts on US motives
index_publicly_filed_CSRT_records.pdf. Retrieved Andy Worthington
2007-09-29. Persondata
[12] "U.S to release Tunisian held in Guantanamo, Name Amor, Abdullah Bin
London-based humanitarian group says".
International Herald Tribune. March 9, 2007. Alternative names
http://www.iht.com/bin/print.php?id=4860160. Short description
[13] Carol Rosenberg (June 19, 2007). "Six more Date of birth 1958-06-28
detainees leave Guantánamo". Miami Herald.
Place of birth Massoulta, Tunisia
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/
144779.html. Retrieved 2007-06-19. Date of death
[14] ^ Clive Stafford Smith (July 12, 2007). "From Place of death
Guantanamo to worse". New Statesman.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200707120031.
Retrieved 2007-07-12.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abdullah_Bin_Omar&oldid=428712743"
Categories:
• Living people
• 1958 births
• Guantanamo detainees known to have been released
• Tunisian people
• Tunisian expatriates in Pakistan
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