Hamed Abderrahaman Ahmad
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Hamed Abderrahman Ahmad (b. 1974) is a Spaniard who was captured in Pakistan in 2001. He was detained in Guantanamo Bay, then extradited to Spain on February 14, 2004. Spanish authorities alleged that Abderrahman Ahmad is a member of a Spanish al-Qaeda cell. Ahmed was convicted of those charges in 2005 and sentenced to six years in prison.
Ahmad is popularly known as "the Spanish Taliban".[1]
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[edit] Terrorism conviction in Spain
Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, prepared the indictment against Ahmad. Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Ahmed had gone to Afghanistan to train with Osama bin Laden's followers. Following his trial, Ahmed was convicted. On October 5, 2005, Ahmed was sentenced to six years in prison.
Three other detainees indicted with Ahmad were Moroccan Lahcen Ikassrien, and two British residents, Omar Deghayes and Jamil al Banna. Spanish authorities alleged that these four may have had some involvement, not only with the September 11, 2001 attacks, but also with planning the later Madrid bombings.
The Washington Post reported on July 24, 2006 that Ahmad's conviction was overturned, on appeal, by the Spanish Supreme Court.[2] According to the Washington Post article, the Spanish High Court that had originally convicted Ahmad, had not taken into account his right to the presumption of innocence.
The Washington Post quoted from the Spanish Supreme Court's decision:[2]
- "Neither the motivation the subject had to travel to Afghanistan, nor the activities he carried out, justifies the verdict passed by the High Court,"
[edit] Missing from the official list
On March 3, 2006 the U.S. Department of Defense exhausted its legal appeals and was forced to comply with a court order from US District Court Judge Jed Rakoff, and started to release the identities of Guantanamo detainees. On March 3rd the DoD released 5,000 pages of transcripts from Combatant Status Review Tribunals and Administrative Review Board hearings. On April 20, 2006 the DoD released a list of the 558 detainees whose cases had gone through a Combatant Status Review Tribunal.[3] On May 15, 2006 the DoD released what they described as a full list of all the Guantanamo detainees who had been held in military custody.[4] Ahmad's name is not on either list.
[edit] Garzón's comments on Guantanamo
Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish magistrate who requested Ahmad's extradition, speaking at at a legal conference in late May 2006, said of the Guantanamo detainment camps:[5]
- "A model like Guantánamo is an insult to countries that respect laws, It delegitimizes us. It is a place that needs to disappear immediately."
Garzón, speaking of the evidence against Ahmad supplied to him by American intelligence officials, said:[5]
- "Everything obtained from there was useless because it went against the rules."
[edit] Associates
Eleven terrorist suspects were arrested in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the North African coast, early on the morning of December 12, 2006.[1] Two of arrested suspects are said to be brothers of Ahmad. Initial reports incorrectly said that Ahmad himself was one of the arrested men.
Press reports claim the arrested men were associated with the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group.[1]
The arrested men were believed to have sent recruits to fight in Iraq.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Possible UK link with alleged Islamic terrorists arrested in Ceuta, Typically Spanish, December 12, 2006
- ^ a b Ex-Guantanamo Spaniard cleared by supreme court, Washington Post, July 24, 2006
- ^ list of prisoners (.pdf), US Department of Defense, April 20, 2006
- ^ list of prisoners (.pdf), US Department of Defense, May 15, 2006
- ^ a b Spanish Judge Calls for Closing U.S. Prison at Guantánamo, New York Times, June 4, 2006
