Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed Zeidan

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Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed Zeidan is a citizen of Libya, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.[1] Zeidan's Guantanamo Internee Security Number is 761. The Department of Defense reports that Zeidan was born on November 6, 1976, in Sorman, Libya.

Contents

[edit] Identity

Captive 761 was identified inconsistently on official Department of Defense documents:

[edit] Combatant Status Review Tribunal

Combatant Status Review Tribunals were held in a trailer the size of a large RV. The captive sat on a plastic garden chair, with his hands and feet shackled to a bolt in the floor. Three chairs were reserved for members of the press, but only 37 of the 574 Tribunals were observed. The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(December 2007)Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.
Combatant Status Review Tribunals were held in a trailer the size of a large RV. The captive sat on a plastic garden chair, with his hands and feet shackled to a bolt in the floor.[10][11] Three chairs were reserved for members of the press, but only 37 of the 574 Tribunals were observed.[12]
The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.(December 2007)
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct a competent tribunal to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.

Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were lawful combatants -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant.

[edit] Summary of Evidence memo

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed Zeidan's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, on 27 September 2004.[2] The memo listed the following allegations against him:

a. The detainee is a member of al Qaida:
  1. The detainee attended al Qaida's al Faruq camp in Afghanistan in 2000.
  2. The detainee appeared in an al Qaida movie about the USS COLE bombing.
  3. The detainee attended passport-forging class paid for by al Qaida.
  4. The detainee received weapons training at al Qaida's al Ghuraba camp in Kabul.
  5. The detainee attended counterintelligence training in Kabul.
  6. The detainee was captured with a Makhab al-Khidmat-inscribed Quran.
  7. Makhab al-Khidmat is a terrorist organization.

[edit] Transcript

Zeidan chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.[13]

[edit] Statement

Zeidan denied all the allegations against him. He repeatedly blamed Abu Zubaydah for making false allegations against him. Abu Zubaydah has been identified as a senior al Qaeda leader.

In his testimony Zeidan refers to an allegation, that he believed stemmed from Abu Zubaydah, that he participated in a propaganda film about the USS Cole bombing. He denied participating in this film. He also denies another allegation he believes stems from Abu Zubaydah, that he attended a forgery course.

Zeidan said Abu Zubaydah's confessions had falsely implicated many other detainees. He said: "We heard from the interrogators themselves that they used unusual methods to get information from him."

Zeidan denied the allegation that he attended the al Ghuraba training camp. He denied attending counterintelligence training in Kabul.

Zeidan said that he suspected that a Jordanian friend of his, named Anwar Abu Faris, who was captured shortly after him, was tortured after being sent to Jordan. He suspected that the false allegation about counter-intelligence training came from him.

Zeidan said that the Makkab al-Khidmat-inscribed Koran was given to him when he requested one when he was first captured. He stated that the Makkab al-Khidmat organization folded 15 years ago, when he was a little boy. He also said, that to the best of his knowledge, the organization had been a humanitarian one.

[edit] Testimony

In answer to questions Zeidan said:

  • He traveled to Afghanistan, from Jordan, in 2000, to visit his brother, a teacher of sharia law.
  • He paid for his travel from his savings. He had worked as a painter in Jordan, and had been well-paid.
  • Although the Department of Defense identifies Zeidan as a Libyan, he said he was a Jordanian subject.
  • He acknowledged receiving military training in Jordan -- it was mandatory for all teenagers.
  • When asked how he knew Abu Zubaydah had been tortured he said he knew:
    • because his interrogators, and other detainees interrogators had said so.
    • because other detainees had been shown photographs, showing Abu Zubaydah's torture scars.
    • because a detainee said he had read an American magazine and that: "he read that American interrogators said he was under psychological pressure and was in a special holding place."
  • He said he had never met Abu Zubaydah.
  • When asked what made him suspect his friend was tortured in Jordan
“I did not see him being tortured, but I know that torturing is common in Jordan. It does exist 100 percent in Jordan. They say in front of the world that they do not torture people but it has been proven that they do. When the Jordanian Delegation came here, they told me they would beat me when I leave here. I was being threatened here. Also, the people that were captured in Pakistan and Afghanistan were subject to torture. They were tortured in Pakistan and Baghram, and everywhere, we know that. In Kabul there is a prison called the Darkness prison, torture is a known thing.”

[edit] Administrative Review Board hearing

Hearing room where Guantanamo captives' annual Administrative Review Board hearings convened for captives whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal had already determined they were an "enemy combatant".
Hearing room where Guantanamo captives' annual Administrative Review Board hearings convened for captives whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal had already determined they were an "enemy combatant".[14]

Detainees who were determined to have been properly classified as "enemy combatants" were scheduled to have their dossier reviewed at annual Administrative Review Board hearings. The Administrative Review Boards were not authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, nor to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant".

They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat -- or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free.

[edit] First annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed Zeidan's first annual Administrative Review Board, on 10 November 2005.[3] The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

[edit] The following primary factors favor continued detention:

a. Commitment
  1. The detainee is a suspected associate of a senior al Qaida operative. He traveled to Afghanistan to live under the Taliban.
  2. The detainee was at al Farouq when the USS Cole was attacked in October 2000. He appeared in a movie about the attack on the USS Cole that al Qaida made at al-Farouq [sic] .
  3. The detainee was arrested for anti-government activities in Jordan before joining his brother in Afghanistan.
  4. In late 2001, a senior al Qaida associate saw the detainee with a group from Khaldan defending the City of Khowst.
b. Training
  1. The detainee attended a three-week mandatory military training course in Jordan. The training consisted of marching and some weapons training.
  2. The detainee received training at al Farouq.
  3. In late 2000 or early 2001, the detainee took two weeks of training at a series of Egyptian guesthouses. The training included courses on surveillance, counterintelligence, report writing and observation/inspection.
  4. The detainee received three months of weapons training at the al-Ghuraba Camp in Kabul.
c. Connections/Associations
  1. One of the detainee's brothers was a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He was killed in 1998 by Jordanian police while trying to illegally cross the Jordanian-Syrian border.
  2. A few weeks before the 11 September 2001 attacks, a senior al Qaida associate gave the detainee three passports and approximately $300 U.S. Dollars for a class on making fake passports.
  3. The detainee was once kidnapped by members of an Afghan tribe in Kabul. One of the detainee's brothers arranged money for the detainee's ransom of at least $240,000 U.S. Dollars with the assistance of a senior al Qaida operative.
  4. The detainee attended the wedding of the sister of a senior al Qaida operative.
d. Detainee Actions and Statements
The detainee felt that the attacks on America were God's wrath against America for their treatment of Muslims around the world.
e. Other Relevant Data
A few months before the September 11 attacks, the detainee was told that the United States was on alert for something that was going to happen.

[edit] The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

a. The detainee denied having any knowledge of ricin or any other toxins.
b.

The detainee stated that if he is released and is ever approached by a group to commit jihad, he would not affiliate with them.
c.

The detainee denied knowledge of any rumors of plans of future attacks on the United States or United States interests.
d.

The detainee denied having any knowledge of the attacks in the United States prior to their execution on September 11th.
e.

The detainee is not a member of al Qaida or any ohter militant Islamic organization.
f.

A senior al Qaida operative commented that he did not think the detainee had sworn bayat/allegiance to al Qaida.
g.

The detainee denies receiving counter-intelligence training and false passport making.
h.

The detainee denies ulterior motives for his travel.

[edit] Second annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Ibrahim Mahdy's second annual Administrative Review Board, on 6 July 2006.[9] The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

[edit] The following primary factors favor continued detention:

a. Commitment
  1. The detainee traveled to Afghanistan to live a good Muslim life under the Taliban.
  2. The detainee was at al Farouq when the USS Cole was attacked in October 2000. He appeared in a movie about the attack on the USS Cole that al Qaida made at al-Farouq [sic] .
  3. The detainee was arrested for anti-government activities in Jordan before joining his brother in Afghanistan.
  4. In late 2001, a senior al Qaida associate saw the detainee with a group from Khaldan defending a city in Afghanistan.
b. Training
  1. The detainee received training at al Farouq.
  2. The detainee attended a three-week mandatory military training course in Jordan. The training consisted of marching and some weapons training.
  3. In late 2000 or early 2001, the detainee took two weeks of training at a series of Egyptian guesthouses. The training included courses on surveillance, counterintelligence, report writing and observation/inspection.
  4. The detainee received three months of weapons training at the al-Ghuraba Camp in Kabul.
  5. After weapons training, the detainee attended religious classes in Afghanistan.
c. Connections/Associations
  1. The detainee has a suspected relationship with an associate of a senior al Qaida operative.
  2. One of the detainee's brothers was a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He was killed in 1998 by Jordanian police while trying to illegally cross the Jordanian-Syrian border.
  3. According to a foreign government source, the detainee was once kidnapped by members of an Afghan tribe in Kabul. On of the detainee's brothers arranged money for the detainee's ransom of at least $240,000 U.S. Dollars with the assistance of a senior al Qaida operative.
  4. The detainee attended the wedding of the sister of a senior al Qaida operative.
  5. A large number of Mujahedin fighters, particularly Jordanians, and the senior al Qaida operative attended the wedding.
  6. A few weeks before the 11 September 2001 attacks, a senior al Qaida associate gave the detainee three passports and approximately $300 U.S. Dollars for a class on making fake passports.
d. Intent
The detainee felt that the attacks on America were God's wrath against America for their treatment of Muslims around the world.
e. Other Relevant Data
A few months before the September 11 attacks, the detainee was told that the United States was on alert for something that was going to happen.

[edit] The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

a.

The detainee stated that if he is released and is ever approached by a group to commit jihad, he would not affiliate with them.
b.

The detainee denied having any knowledge of the attacks in the United States prior to their execution on September 11th.
c.

The detainee denied knowledge of any rumors of plans of future attacks on the United States or United States interests.
d.

The detainee claimed that he is not a member of al Qaida or any ohter militant Islamic organization.
e.

A senior al Qaida operative commented that he did not think the detainee had sworn bayat or allegiance to al Qaida.
f.

The detainee denies attending training in any training camps, receiving counterintelligence training or false passport making.
g.

The detainee denies ulterior motives for his travel.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b OARDEC (May 15, 2006). List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  2. ^ a b OARDEC (27 September 2004). Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Zeidan, Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed page 4. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  3. ^ a b OARDEC (10 November 2005). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of pages 71-73. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  4. ^ OARDEC (April 20, 2006). List of detainee who went through complete CSRT process. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  5. ^ OARDEC (July 17, 2007). Index for Combatant Status Review Board unclassified summaries of evidence. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  6. ^ OARDEC (September 4, 2007). Index for testimony. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  7. ^ OARDEC (August 9, 2007). Index to Summaries of Detention-Release Factors for ARB Round One. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  8. ^ OARDEC (July 17, 2007). Index of Summaries of Detention-Release Factors for ARB Round Two. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  9. ^ a b OARDEC (6 July 2006). Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Mahdy, Ibrahim pages 15-17. United States Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  10. ^ Guantánamo Prisoners Getting Their Day, but Hardly in Court, New York Times, November 11, 2004 - mirror
  11. ^ Inside the Guantánamo Bay hearings: Barbarian "Justice" dispensed by KGB-style "military tribunals", Financial Times, December 11, 2004
  12. ^ Annual Administrative Review Boards for Enemy Combatants Held at Guantanamo Attributable to Senior Defense Officials. United States Department of Defense (March 6, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
  13. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Ibrahim Mahdy Achmed Zeidan'sCombatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 29-36
  14. ^ Spc Timothy Book. "Review process unprecedented", JTF-GTMO Public Affairs Office, Friday March 10, 2006, pp. pg 1. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.