Casio F91W

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Casio F91W, in daily alarm mode. The watch is currently set to ring an alarm, and flash its light, at 7:30am.
Casio F91W, in daily alarm mode. The watch is currently set to ring an alarm, and flash its light, at 7:30am.

The Casio F91W is an inexpensive quartz digital watch, manufactured in China for the Japanese firm Casio. It has a 1/100 second stopwatch with a capacity of up to 59'59.99" and measuring modes of net time, split time, and 1st-2nd place times. There are the options of an hourly time "beep" and a daily alarm. It has an automatic calendar, although adjustment for leap-years is not supported as the watch does not record the year.

The manufacturers say the watch is accurate to +/-30 seconds per month. It uses a CR2016 battery, with a claimed battery life of approximately seven years.( assuming 20secs of alarm and 1sec of backlight usage per day The watch case measures 37.5 x 33.5 x 9.5mm and weighs 20g. The manufacturer's module number for this model (stamped on the stainless steel rear of the watch case) is 593. The watch it is water resistant. This is not water proof which would include swimming or showering.

Since the watch was introduced it has only been updated once. The change was to the backlight which went from the standard light in older watches to the blue 'micro-light' seen in most of today's watches.

The watch is controlled by three pushbuttons. The upper left button turns on the backlight, cancels the alarm, and is used for selecting settings. The lower left button cycles the modes of the watch: → Alarm → Stopwatch → Time adjustment and back to the normal time display. The button on the right is the function button: when used after pressing the lower left mode button it starts and stops the stopwatch, or changes the settings currently being adjusted; but when pressed alone switches between the 12 and 24 hour modes.

The time or date is adjusted by pressing the lower left button three times to bring the watch to time adjustment mode. This causes the seconds to flash on the display. The top left button is pressed to cycle through seconds, hours, minutes, month, day, and normal mode. The right button is then pressed to adjust the flashing value displayed. When the adjustments are finished, the top left button is pressed repeatedly until the watch returns to normal mode.

The watch's display shows the day of the week, day of the month, hour, minute, seconds, and the signs for PM (or 24-hour clock), alarm signal, and hourly signal.

In stopwatch mode, minutes, seconds and one-hundredths of a second are shown and a lap feature is available.

This watch is widely available throughout the world in various packaging, popular in U.S Army including a version with a chrome case and strap available in the USA at Fry's and other outlets.

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[edit] Claimed use in terrorism

This model of watch is notable because United States intelligence officials have identified it as the watch that terrorists use when constructing time bombs thanks to its accuracy.[1] Ahmed Ressam, the "millennial bomber", bought two Casio F91Ws.[2]

According to the allegations used to justify the continued detention of one of the captives, these watches were given to some attendees at Al-Qaeda's Al Farouq training camp.[3] At least four of the Guantanamo detainees found with such a watch are also listed as having been to Al Farouq.

When the Department of Defense was ordered by US District Court justice Jed Rakoff to release the documents from Guantanamo detainees' Combatant Status Review Tribunals it became known that at least ten of the Guantanamo detainees were listed as having been wearing this model of watch when they were captured.[4]

Although none of the captives who remained in detention when the Combatant Status Review Tribunals began in August 2004 were being held solely for possession of this watch, this is used as the main allegation against them, as this link was highlighted in the Denbeaux study compiled by lawyers for two detainees. It is said that having this watch was being used as "proof" of the captives' status as enemy combatants. those that say otherwise point to the fact that eighteen captives known to have faced the allegation of owning this watch all faced other allegations as well. However, this 'evidence' still remains the main allegation against them.

Casio officials declined to be interviewed about the U.S. intelligence accusations.[2] Casio did, however, issue a statement in which it said the watch "has no exclusive technology," and asserted that "Casio continues to work closely with all government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security to help limit any potential threats and deal with security concerns."

Detainees who testified to their surprise and confusion over this allegation have described their watches, and those descriptions have not matched the description of the F91W. Their descriptions have mentioned built-in compasses and calculators -- features the F91W lacks.

[edit] Detainees listed as having a Casio watch

Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah
  • Al Edah was alleged to have been wearing a Casio 195W, "the silver version of the F91W".[5]
  • Al Edah's Personal Representative challenged the logic behind linking ownership of a popular watch to membership in a terrorist organization.
Abdullah Kamel Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari
  • Told his Tribunal he had no idea that the watch was associated with terrorism[6][7]
  • Told his Tribunal that the four Muslim chaplains at Guantanamo all wore this model of watch.[8]
  • Described the features of his watch that signal the call to prayers to a devout Muslim.[9]
  • Told his Tribunal if he had known Casio watches were tied to terrorism:

"If I had known that, I would have thrown (the watch) away."[10]
Abdelaziz Kareem Salim al-Noofayee
  • Told his Tribunal:

"The guards here wear the same Casio watch I did. The watch I was wearing looked like the same one the guards wear here. Does that mean they're al-Qaeda members?"[11][12]
Hani Abdul Muslih al Shulan
  • Captured wearing an F91W.[13]
Sabri Mohammed Ebrahim
  • Told his Tribunal:

"All I know about the watch is that it is a Casio... I know it has a compass. When we pray we have to face Mecca"[14]
Usama Hassan Ahmend Abu Kabir
  • Told his Tribunal:

"I have a Casio watch due to the fact that they are inexpensive and they last a long time. I like my watch because it is durable. It had a calculator and was waterproof, and before prayers we have to wash up all the way to my elbows."[15]
Abdul Matin
  • Told his tribunal:

"This watch is not from al-Qaida, it's not used for a bomb, This is just a regular watch. All older, younger men and women use this watch everywhere."[15]
Mazin Salih Musaid
  • Musaid pointed out to his Tribunal:

"Millions and millions of people have these types of Casio watches."[15]
Salih Uyar
  • Told his Tribunal:

"If it's a crime to carry this watch? Your own military personnel also carry this watch, too, Does that mean that they're just terrorists as well?"[16][17]
Mosa Zi Zemmori
  • Ownership of a Casio watch was listed as one of the factors in favor of his continued detention.[18]
Mesut Sen
  • Ownership of a Casio watch was listed as one of the factors in favor of his continued detention.[19]
Abdul Rahman Abdul Abu Ghiyth Sulayman
  • Captured wearing a Casio F91W.[20]
Ahmed Yaslam Said Kuman
  • Ownership of a Casio watch was listed as one of the factors in favor of his continued detention.[21]
Tariq Shallah Hasan Al Alawi Al Harbi
  • Ownership of a Casio watch was listed as one of the factors in favor of his continued detention.[22]
Fadil Husayn Salih Hintif
  • "The detainee was captured while in possession of a Casio watch model that has been used in bombings linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorist groups with improvised explosive devices."[23]
Muhammad Abd Allah Mansur Al Futuri
  • "The detainee was in possession of a wristwatch, the type used in improvised explosive device bombings linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorists."[24]
Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh
  • "The detainee was in possession of a watch type that has been used in bombing linked to radical terrorist improvised explosive devices."[25]
Shabir Ahmed
  • One of the factors favoring continued detention, offered to his Administrative Review Board, to justify his continued detention, was:[26]
  • "The detainee possessed a Casio watch, the model of which has been used in bombings that have been linked to al Qaida with improved [sic] explosive devices."
Abdul Wahab
  • Two of the factors favoring his continued detention, offered to his second annual Administrative Review Board, on July 20, 2006, were[27]:
  • "The detainee was on a list of personnel who had a casio watch in his possession on 1 May 2003."
  • "Terrorism experts have said a Casio watch is a signature component of bombs made by militants trained in Saudi millionaire Usama bin Laden's terrorist camps in Afghanistan. Islamic militants are routinely trained by Usama bin Laden's operatives to wire Casio watches to explosives."
Majid Aydha Muhammad Al Qurayshi
  • In 2006. during his second annual Administrative Review Board, Majid Aydha Muhammad Al Qurayshi faced a new justification for continuing to detain him[28]:

"The detainee is on a list of detainees with a Casio model F-91W watch. This model watch has been used in bombings that have been linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorist improvised explosive devices."
Rashed Awad Khalaf Balkhair

"Detainee was captured with a Casio wristwatch typically used as a timing device to initiate an explosive charge."
Tariqe Shallah Hassan Al Harbi

The detainee was captured with a Casio F91W watch. This model has been used in bombings that have been linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorist improvised explosive devices.
Mohammed Ahmed Ali Al Asadi
  • During capture, the detainee had in his possession a Casio F-91W Watch.
  • The Casio F-91 W has been used in bombings that have been linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorist improvised explosive devices.
Fahd Umr Abd Al Majid Al Sharif
  • Faced the allegation that he owned a Casio F91W during his first and second Administrative Review Board hearings.[32][33]

[edit] Components of an al Qaeda bomb-making kit

The charge sheet filed against Jabran Said Wazar Al Qahtani, on November 7, 2005, contained a charge that listed the components of an al Qaeda bomb-making kit[34]:

Shortly after receiving the money for the components, Barhoumi, Noor al Deen and other individuals staying at the house went into downtown Faisalabad with a five page list of electrical equipment and devices for purchase which included, inter alia, electrical resistors, plastic resistors, light bulbs for circuit board lights, plastic and ceramic diodes, circuit testing boards, an ohmmeter, watches, soldering wire, soldering guns, wire and coil, six cell phones of a specified model, transformers and an electronics manual.

An article published in the Washington Post in 1996 reported that Abdul Hakim Murad, Wali Khan Amin Shah, and Ramzi Ahmed Yousef had developed techniques to use Casio digital watches to detonate time bombs that didn't look like traditional time bombs.[35]

The article stated:

At the heart of each device was a timer built by rewiring a commonly available Casio digital watch, which could be connected to a stabilized form of liquid nitroglycerin stored in a bottle ostensibly filled with contact lens solution. The stabilizer for the nitroglycerin looked like cotton, and Murad told interrogators that "nobody can think that it's . . . explosive."

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Why Am I in Cuba?", Mother Jones (magazine), July 12, 2006
  2. ^ a b Guantanamo Captives Jailed Because Of Digital Watches, WCVB, March 10, 2006
  3. ^ Summary of Evidence memo (.pdf) prepared for Sabri Mohammed Ebrahim Al Qurashi's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - October 13, 2004 - page 216
  4. ^ Empty Evidence (02/03/2006), National Journal
  5. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 22-30
  6. ^ documents from Abdullah Kamel Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
  7. ^ Sketches of Guantanamo detainees-Part II, Boston Globe, March 15, 2006
  8. ^ Voices Baffled, Brash and Irate in Guantánamo, New York Times, March 6, 2006
  9. ^ Guantanamo detainee accused of having digital watch, Dawn (newspaper), March 8, 2006
  10. ^ Detainees' cases show another side of Gitmo, USA Today, November 3, 2004
  11. ^ Incoherencies, Eponymies: Proofs of Accusations Often Skimpy, Le Monde, March 13, 2006
  12. ^ Details of some hearings involving Guantanamo detainees, Fox News
  13. ^ Details of some hearings involving Guantanamo detainees, Fox News
  14. ^ US releases more Guantanamo files, BBC, April 4, 2006
  15. ^ a b c Common Casio watch becomes evidence at Guantanamo, Associated Press, March 9, 2006
  16. ^ Details from the Guantanamo Transcripts, NPR
  17. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Salih Uyar's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - mirror - pages 15-21
  18. ^ Administrative Review Board - factors in favor of continued detention or release (.pdf), US Department of Defense - page 101-102
  19. ^ Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf), of Mesut Sen Administrative Review Board - page 1
  20. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Abdul Rahman Abdul Abu Ghiyth Sulayman's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 23-31
  21. ^ Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf) of Ahmed Yaslam Said Kuman Administrative Review Board - page 65
  22. ^ Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf) of Tariq Shallah Hasan Al Alawi Al Harbi Administrative Review Board, March 4, 2005 - page 66
  23. ^ CSRT Summary of Evidence memorandum (.pdf) prepared for Fadil Husayn Salih Hintif's Combatant Status Review Tribunals - October 25, 2004 - page 67
  24. ^ Summary of Evidence memo (.pdf) prepared for Muhammad Abd Allah Mansur Al Futuri's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - September 29, 2004 - page 244
  25. ^ Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf) of Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh Administrative Review Board - page 60
  26. ^ Summarized transcript (.pdf), from Shabir Ahmed's Administrative Review Board hearing - page 203-216
  27. ^ OARDEC (April 21, 2005). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Abdul Wahab pages 59-60. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
  28. ^ OARDEC (9 July 2006). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Qurayshi, Majid Aydha Muhammad pages 57-58. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  29. ^ OARDEC (27 September 2004). Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal - Balkhair, Rashed Awad Khalaf pages 94-95. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  30. ^ OARDEC (4 March 2005). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Harbi, Tariq Shallah Hasan Al Alawi pages 66-68. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  31. ^ OARDEC (19 April 2005). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Asadi, Mohammed Ahmed Ali pages 79-80. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  32. ^ OARDEC (31 October 2005). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Sharif, Fahd Umr Abd Al Majid pages 56-59. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  33. ^ OARDEC (3 October 2006). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Sharif, Fahd Umr Abd Al Majid pages 30-32. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  34. ^ USA v. al Qahtani. US Department of Defense (November 7, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
  35. ^ R. Jeffrey Smith. "New Devices May Foil Airline Security", Washington Post, Sunday, July 21, 1996, pp. A01. Retrieved on 2008-03-14. 

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