Al Qaida guest house, Faisalabad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The American intelligence analysts who compiled the justifications for continuing to detain the captives taken in the "war on terror" made dozens of references to al Qaida safe house, in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

As of November 2006 only ten of the 773 captives held in military custody in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, has been charged. They have been charged by military commissions -- not in traditional courts of law. Four of the ten men who face charges were captured in a single raid on a safe house in Faisalabad. Three of these suspects are alleged to have been Abu Zubaydah's lieutenants.

Main article: The Faisalabad Three

American and Pakistani counter-terrorism officials have made multiple raids on suspected safe houses in Faisalabad.

One large raid, of what counter-terrorism officials described as an "al-Qaida safe house", netted dozens of foreigners, from around the world, who the counter-terrorism officials described as suspicious. The captives however, during their Combatant Status Review Tribunals, disputed that living with other foreigners should be a trigger for suspicions, when they were all foreign students living in Salafi University's foreign student's dormitory.

1 Captives apprehended with Abu Zubaydah
2 Captives apprehended in raids on Salafi University
3 Captives apprehended in the Issa guesthouse in Faisalabad
4 Captives apprehended in unnamed safe houses in Faisalabad
5 Stayed in Faisalabad safe house or guest house
6 References

[edit] Captives apprehended with Abu Zubaydah

Abu Zubaydah was captured with close to two dozen other individuals, in a raid on a Faisalabad safe house. American intelligence analysts assert that most, but not all, of the other captives were either his assistants or his bodyguards.

Abu Zubaydah	American intelligence analysts assert he is a top member of the al Qaeda leadership. Some skeptics assert that he was mentally unstable, and had less serious responsibilities the American intelligence community asserts. Was held, until the fall of 2006, in the CIA's archipelago of covert interrogation centres, known as the black sites. Was transferred to military custody at Guantanamo in the fall of 2006, with thirteen other "high value detainees". The Bush administration announced plans for Abu Zubaydah and the other thirteen "high value detainees" to face charges before military commissions. The DoD has not convened a Competent Tribunal, to determine whether Abu Zubaydah has broken the laws of war, so that he is not entitled to the protections of Prisoner of War status, which many legal scholars argue the USA is obliged to do, to fulfill its responsibilities as a signatory of the Geneva Conventions. The DoD has not convened a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, to determine whether or not Abu Zubaydah should be classified as an enemy combatant.
Jabran Said Wazar Al Qahtani	Said to be one of Abu Zubaydah's lieutenants. Charged in November 2005, before a military commission, including conspiracy to murder. His status was considered by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, but he chose not to participate. Argued that he should be allowed to defend himself.
Sufyian Barhoumi	Said to be one of Abu Zubaydah's lieutenants. Charged in November 2005, before a military commission, including conspiracy to murder. His status was considered by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, which he attended. Argued that he should be allowed to defend himself.
Ghassan Abdallah Ghazi Al Shirbi	Said to be one of Abu Zubaydah's lieutenants. Charged in November 2005, before a military commission, including conspiracy to murder. His status was considered by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, which he attended, but used as a forum to denounce the USA. Argued that he should be allowed to defend himself.
Abdul Zahir	Not alleged to be part of Abu Zubaydah's entourage. Alleged to have played a part in the wounding, via hand grenade, of a Canadian journalist. His status was considered by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal, which he attended.
Ahmed Bin Kadr Labed	Was billeted in Abu Zubaydah's safe house by accident. He should have been billeted in the Yemeni House. Had lived for much of the 1990s in Europe, where he was a drug dealer and pickpocket. Had agreed to go to Afghanistan, prior to September 11, 2001, ostensibly for military training. But his real plan was to purchase heroin to sell when he returned to Europe. A kilo of Heroin could be sold for almost fifty times more in Europe than it cost in Afghanistan.

[edit] Captives apprehended in raids on Salafi University

Mohammed Ali Salem Al Zarnuki	Alleged to have been captured with thirteen other foreigners.^[1] Al Zarnuki claimed that he and the other captive apprehended with him were all foreign students living in the foreign student's dormitory. Al Zarnuki denied ever traveling to Afghanistan. Al Zarnuki called Mohammed Mohammed Hassen and Ahmed Abdul Qader as witnesses -- fellow Yemenis who were captured with him. The allegations against Mohammed Mohammed Hassen said he was captured in the "Cresent Mill guesthouse".
Mohammed Mohammed Hassen	Al Zarnuki's testimony says ^[2] The allegations against Mohammed Mohammed Hassen said he was captured in the "Cresent Mill guesthouse".
Ahmed Abdul Qader	The allegations against Qader don't say he was captured in a safe house, merely that he was captured in Faisalabad.^[3] However, during Al Zarnuki's Tribunal it was stated that Al Zarnuki, Mohammed Mohammed Hassen were all apprehended at the same time, and Hassen was captured in the Crescent Mill guesthouse, the three Yemenis were captured in the Crescent Mill guesthouse, with eleven others, at Salafi University.
Fahmi Abdullah Ahmed	Acknowledged spending all his money on drugs.^[4] Having exhausted all his money, and being too embarrassed to return home broke, he was taking advantage of the loose controls at Salafi University to crash in the foreign student's dormitory, where he had been staying for two or three weeks. Said he had never heard of "Crescent Mill guesthouse" before he read the Tribunal's allegations.
Emad Abdalla Hassan	The allegation stated: "The detainee was arrested by Pakistani Authorities in Faisalabad, Pakistan, along with several oter living in the same house, who were from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Libya, Russia and Pakistan.^[5] To which Hassan replied: "This is true, but let me make this clear. It is a University dorm, so we have international students from all over the world, so it makes sense that we have so many different nationalities."

[edit] Captives apprehended in the Issa guesthouse in Faisalabad

Abdelaziz Kareem Salim al-Noofayee	Apprehended in March 2002 in the Issa guesthouse.^[6] Al-Noofayee said that he asked the Tablighi Jamaat to recommend a safer place to stay when the Pakistanis started arresting all Arabs. Participated in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. The allegations he faced said "Several of the individuals arrested in the raid on the guesthouse in March 2002 were identified by a senior al Qaida associate." -- but it doesn't assert that al-Noofayee was identified by any al Qaida members. One of the justifications for holding al-Noofayee was that he wore a Casio F91W. Al-Noofayee said he moved to Pakistan because the tablets he needed to control his chronic back pain were cheaper in Pakistan.

[edit] Captives apprehended in unnamed safe houses in Faisalabad

Ravil Mingazov	"The detainee fled Afghanistan following the U.S. bombing campaign and was arrested by Pakistani police in a safehouse in Faisalabad, Pakistan, approximately four months later."^[7]