Lists of former Guantanamo Bay detainees alleged to have returned to terrorism


Some former detainees who were held by the US at Guantanamo Bay detention camp have engaged in terrorism or militant activity since their release.
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as of January 2017, 714 detainees have been transferred from Guantanamo Bay. Of these, 121 are listed by them as confirmed of returning to terrorist or militant activities, while 87 are suspected by them of the same. The Defense Intelligence Agency maintains that slightly more have reengaged: 124 and 94, respectively.

Background

Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a joint military prison and interrogation camp under the leadership of Joint Task Force Guantanamo which has occupied a portion of the United States Navy's base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002.
The prison holds people suspected by the U.S. government of being al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives, as well as those no longer considered suspects who are being held pending relocation elsewhere.

History

As early as 2004, the US government claimed that detainees released from Guantanamo Bay detainment camp had returned to the battlefield. Initially, government spokesmen claimed relatively small numbers of former Guantanamo captives had returned to the battlefield. In a press briefing on March 6, 2007 a "Senior Defense official" commented:
I can tell you that we have confirmed 12 individuals have returned to the fight, and we have strong evidence that about another dozen have returned to the fight.

On April 2, 2007, JTF-GTMO commander Harry Harris asserted that thirty former captives "resumed terrorist activities".
On Monday, May 14, 2007, Pentagon officials Joseph Benkert and Jeffrey Gordon repeated the assertion that thirty former captives had returned to the battlefield in testimony before the United States Congress.
They identified six of the thirty by name.
They offered the names of the three men previously identified: "Mullah Shahzada"; "Maulavi Abdul Ghaffar"; and Abdullah Mahsud. They tied "Mullah Shahzada" to Mohamed Yusif Yaqub, a Guantanamo captive who was listed on the official list. The other three names they offered were: Mohammed Ismail; Abdul Rahman Noor; and Mohammed Nayim Farouq.
On July 12, 2007 the Department of Defense placed an additional page on their site, entitled: ''"Former Guantanamo Detainees who have returned to the fight".
This list contained one additional name, not on the list released on May 14, 2007, for a total of seven names. The new name was Ruslan Odizhev, a Russian who Russian police reported died while resisting arrest on June 27, 2007.
On 13 January 2009, the Pentagon said that 18 former detainees are confirmed to have participated in attacks, and 43 are suspected to have been involved in attacks. A spokesman said evidence of someone being "confirmed" could include fingerprints, a conclusive photograph or "well-corroborated intelligence reporting." He said the Pentagon would not discuss how the statistics were derived because of security concerns. National security expert and CNN analyst Peter Bergen, stated that some of those "suspected" to have returned to terrorism are so categorized because they publicly made anti-American statements, "something that's not surprising if you've been locked up in a U.S. prison camp for several years." If all on the "confirmed" list have indeed returned to the battlefield, that would amount to 4 percent of the detainees who have been released at that time.
According to a September 2014 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in July 2014 of the 620 detainees transferred out of Guantanamo, 107 have been "confirmed of re-engaging," and 77 are "suspected of re-engaging" in terrorist or insurgent activities.

Lists of alleged returnees

2006 list

92Abdullah Mahsud
363Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar
367Mohamed Yusif Yaqub
582Abdul Rahman Noor
633Mohammed Nayim Farouq
930Mohammed Ismail

2007 list

reported
isn
nameOn July 2007
Press Release
DispositionCitizenshipCountry of
Act
92Said Mohammed Alim ShahYesKilledAfghanistanAfghanistan
203Ravil Shafeyavich GumarovNoArrestRussiaRussia
69Ruslan Anatolivich OdijevYesArrestRussiaRussia
220Abdallah Saleh Ali Al AjmiNoKilledKuwaitIraq
294Mohammed MizouzNoArrestMoroccoMorocco
297Ibrahim Shafir SenNoArrestTurkeyTurkey
363Shai Jahn GhafoorYesKilledAfghanistanAfghanistan
587Mohammed Yusif YaqubYesKilledAfghanistanAfghanistan
587Ibrahim Bin ShakaranNoArrestMoroccoMorocco
633Mohammed Nayim FarouqYesAt LargeAfghanistanAfghanistan
674Timur Ravilich IshmuratNoArrestRussiaRussia
930Mohammed IsmailYesCaptureAfghanistanAfghanistan

2008 list

2009 reports

Department of Defense spokesmen claimed in January 2009 that at least 61 former captives had returned to the fight.
But they did not publish any of the men's names.

Saudi list

On February 3, 2009, the government of Saudi Arabia published a list of 85 most wanted suspected terrorists that included two former Guantanamo captives who had appeared in an alarming video, and nine other former captives.

BBC report

On February 18, 2009, the BBC News reported that UK officials had told them that an Afghan former captive repatriated in the Spring of 2008 had risen to a high-ranking position in the Taliban, in Pakistan, following his return. The BBC reports they had been told his name was Mullah Abdul Kayum Sakir. The USA did not list any captives with names close to Abdul Kayum Sakir.
The five captives repatriated on April 30, 2008, are:
Nasrullah,
Esmatulla,
Rahmatullah Sangaryar,
Sahib Rohullah Wakil, and Abdullah Mohammad Khan.

Department of Defense

In March 2009, U.S. officials revealed that Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul is now leading the Taliban's operations in southern Afghanistan.

The May 2009 "one in seven" claims

On May 21, 2009, Elizabeth Bumiller, writing in The New York Times, reported that they had secured access to an unreleased Pentagon report that asserted "one in seven" former captives "are engaged in terrorism or militant activity."
According to The New York Times Pentagon officials had asserted 74 former captives had returned to terrorism, and had named 29 individuals, including 16 previously unpublished ones. The New York Times chose to publish only 15 of those 16 names because of discrepancies concerning the 16th.
On June 6, 2009 Clark Hoyt, whose byline lists him as The New York Times "public editor" wrote an apology to The New York Times readers for Bumiller's article.
isnnametransfer
date
nationnotes
8Abdullah Gulam Rasoul2007-12-12Afghanistan
  • In 2007 he was transferred to the American wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
  • A false name used by Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a senior commander in the Taliban.
  • British officials believed Rasoul became the Taliban's operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops.
  • The New York Times reported that Rasoul led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan.
23Isa Khan2004-09-17Pakistan
25Majeed Abdullah al Joudi2007-02-20Saudi Arabia
67Abd al Razaq Abdallah Hamid Ibrahim al Sharikh2007-09-05Saudi Arabia
82Rasul Kudayev2004-02-27Russia
  • Was an athlete who fled persecution in Russia when he was a teenager.
  • Was captured in 2006 following an attack on Russian government facilities in October 2005.
  • His family reports that his stay in Afghanistan and Guantanamo had left him with serious health problems, and that he was at home, under his mother's care, at the time of the attack.
  • 92
  • Said Mohammed Alim Shah
  • aka Abdullah Mehsud
  • -
    154Mazin Salih Musaid al Awfi2007-07-15Saudi Arabia
    159Abdullah al Noaimi2005-11-04Bahrain
  • Knew the three men who died in the camp on June 10, 2006. He expressed skepticism about the official version, and questioned the credibility of the allegations against them.
  • In October 2008 Saudi authorities apprehended and detained al Noaimi when he was on a visit to Saudi Arabia.
  • Saudi authorities continue to hold him—without charge.
  • 203Ravil Shafeyavich GumarovRussia
    209Almasm Rabilavich SharipovRussia
    211Ruslan OdijevRussia
    230Humud Dakhil Humud Said al Jadan2007-07-15Saudi Arabia
    231Abdulhadi Abdallah Ibrahim al Sharakh2007-09-05Saudi Arabia
    294Mohammed bin Ahmad MizouzJuly 2004Morocco
  • Accused of recruiting for Al Qaeda in Iraq.
  • 333Muhammad al Awfi2007-11-09Saudi Arabia
  • Graduated from the Saudi jihadist rehabilitation center.
  • Unexpectedly left Saudi Arabia without government permission in December 2008.
  • Appeared in a threatening video published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in January 2009.
  • Was named on a Saudi Arabian list of most wanted suspected terrorists in February 2009.
  • Voluntarily surrendered himself to Saudi security officials in March 2009.
  • 372Said Ali al Shihri2007-11-09Saudi Arabia
  • Graduated from the Saudi jihadist rehabilitation center.
  • Unexpectedly left Saudi Arabia without government permission in December 2008.
  • Appeared in a threatening video published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in January 2009, where he was described as the group's second in command.
  • Was named on a Saudi Arabian list of most wanted suspected terrorists in February 2009.
  • Called upon Somali pirates to increase their attacks on western shipping.
  • 546Muhibullah2005-07-19Afghanistan
    571Saad Madi Saad al Azmi2005-11-02Kuwait
  • Faced charges in Kuwait following his repatriation on November 4, 2005. The charges were based on evidence supplied by the USA that he had ties to Al Wafa. The Kuwaiti court acquitted Al Azmi.
  • 587Ibrahim bin ShakaranJuly 2004Morocco
  • Accused of recruiting for Al Qaeda in Iraq.
  • 674Timur Ravilich Ishmurat2004-02-17Russia
  • Arrested in Russia in March 2006.
  • 798Haji Sahib Rohullah Wakil2008-04-30Afghanistan
  • Member of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah Pakistan, a group created in 1985 to fight the Soviet occupation. Although designated a terrorist organization in 2008 by the State Department, it is not on any of the official U.S. watchlists as it has worked as a charity with no military wing since 1991.
  • Commander of Kunar anti-Taliban forces.
  • In 2002, represented Kunar Province in the Grand Assembly.
  • Arrested in August 2002 after an informer claimed he had helped members of al Qaida escape from Kunar. The Afghanistan government believes the head of the rival Mushwani tribe had turned Wakil in because the Mushwani tribe opposed a poppy eradication program that Wakil had begun in Kunar.
  • Released in April 2008. Upon his release Wakil met with President Hamid Karzai who apologized for his detention.
  • Currently a tribal elder representing Kunar province in the Afghanistan government.
  • 1010Nahir Shah2007-11-02Afghanistan
  • Transferred from Guantanamo to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison near Kabul on November 2, 2007.
  • DoD list of May 27, 2009

    On May 27, 2009 the Defense Intelligence Agency published a "fact sheet" Former Guantanamo Detainee Terrorism Trends that contained a Partial Listing of Former GTMO Detainees Who have Reengaged in Terrorism. Although it was published on May 27, it bears the date April 7, 2009.
    NameNationalityRepatriatedActivityStatus

    AfghanistanMarch 2003Died fighting Afghan forcesSuspected
    Shah MohammedPakistanMay 2003Killed fighting US forces in AfghanistanConfirmed
  • Yousef Muhammed Yaaqoub also known as
  • Mullah Shahzada
  • AfghanistanMay 2003Taliban commander in Afghanistan; Organized jailbreak in Kandahar; killed on 7 May 2004 fighting US forcesConfirmed
    Mohammed Nayim FarouqAfghanistanJuly 2003Association with Taliban and al-Qaida; involved in anti-coalition activitySuspected
    Ibrahim Shafir SenTurkeyNovember 2003Leader of al-Qaida cells in Van; recruited and trained members, provided illegal weapons and facilitationConfirmed
    Mohammed IsmailAfghanistanJanuary 2004Participated in an attack against US forces Taliban memberConfirmed
    Abdullah D. KafkasRussiaMarch 2004Suspected involvement in an attack against a traffice police checkpoint in Nalchik in October 2005Suspected
    Almasm Rabilavich SharipovRussiaMarch 2004Association with terrorist group Suspected
    Timur Ravilich IshmuratRussiaMarch 2004Involved in a gas line bombingConfirmed
    Ruslan Anatolivich OdijevRussiaMarch 2004Participated in several terrorism acts including an October 2005 attack in the Caucasus region that killed and injured several police officersSuspected
  • Said Mohammad Alim Shah also known as
  • Abdullah Mahsud
  • AfghanistanMarch 2004Kidnapped two Chinese engineers; Claimed responsibility for an Islamabad hotel bombing; directed a suicide attack in April 2007 killing 31 peopleConfirmed
    Ravil GumarovRussiaMarch 2004Involved in a gas line bombingConfirmed
    Abdullah GhofoorAfghanistanMarch 2004Taliban commander; planning attacks on U.S. and Afghan forces; killed in a raid by Afghan security forcesSuspected
    Mohammed Bin Ahmad MizouzMoroccoJuly 2004Recruiter for al-Qaida in IraqConfirmed
    Ibrahim Bin ShakaranMoroccoJuly 2004Recruiter for al-Qaida in IraqConfirmed
    Isa KhanPakistanSeptember 2004Association with Tehrik-i-TalibanSuspected
    MuhibullahAfghanistanJuly 2005Association with the TalibanSuspected
    Abdallah Saleh Ali al-AjmiKuwaitNovember 2005Conducted a suicide attack in IraqConfirmed
    Abdullah Majid Al-NaimiBahrainNovember 2005Arrested in October 2008; involved in terrorist facilitation; has known associations with al-QaidaConfirmed
    Saad Madhi Saad Hawash al AzmiKuwaitNovember 2005Association with al-QaidaSuspected
    Majid Abdullah Lahiq al JoudiSaudi ArabiaFebruary 2007Terrorist facilitationConfirmed
  • Mazin Salih Musaid al-Alawi al-Awfi also known as
  • Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Awfi
  • Saudi ArabiaJuly 2007Leadership figure in al-Qaida in Arabian PeninsulaConfirmed
    Abd al Razzaq Abdallah Ibrahim al-SharikhSaudi ArabiaSeptember 2007Arrested in September 2008 for supporting terrorismSuspected
    Abd al Hadi Abdallah Ibrahim al SharikhSaudi ArabiaSeptember 2007Arrested in September 2008 for association with terrorist members; supporting terrorismSuspected
    Zahir ShahAfghanistanNovember 2007Participation in terrorist trainingConfirmed
    Abu Sufyan al Azdi al-ShihriSaudi ArabiaNovember 2007Leadership figure in al-Qaida in Arabian PeninsulaConfirmed
    Abdullah Gulam RasoulAfghanistanDecember 2007Taliban military commander for Afghanistan; Organizaed an assault on U.S. military aircraft in AfghanistanSuspected
    Hajji Sahib Rohullah WakilAfghanistanApril 2008Association with terrorist groupsSuspected

    2017

    , also known as Jamal Udeen Al-Harith, murdered a number of Iraqi soldiers and killed himself via murder-bombing in 2017. The BBC reported that Tony Blair personally was involved with getting Abu-Zakariya freed from Guantanamo in 2004. The UK government paid $1 million as compensation to Abu-Zakariya al-Britani for his stay at Guantanamo.

    Third party comments

    In August 2011 UK captive Tarek Dergoul got into a scuffle with a parking official, who was giving his car a ticket at an expired parking meter.
    He received a one-year conditional sentence, and had to undergo a mental health assessment.
    Benjamin Wittes, a legal scholar who focuses on counter-terrorism issues, referred to the issue of competing assessment as to what percentage of former Guantanamo captives should be considered Guantanamo recidivists, when he asked whether Dergoul's conviction would make him a recidivist.