Ahmad Chalfan al-Ghailani
Ahmad Chalfan al-Ghailani (born March 14, 1974 in Zanzibar , Tanzania ) is a suspected member of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda and a convicted helper in the terrorist attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . His name ( Arabic أحمد خلفان الغيلاني) is mostly reproduced in the media as Ahmad Khalfan Ghailani according to the usual transcription in English-speaking countries .
According to information from the American FBI , the following names and spellings of Ghailani are also in circulation: Ahmad Khalafan Ghilani, Ahmed Khalfan Ahmed, Abubakar K. Ahmed, Abubakary K. Ahmed, Abubakar Ahmed, Abu Bakr Ahmad, A. Ahmed, Ahmed Khalfan, Ahmed Khalfan Ali, Abubakar Khalfan Ahmed, Ahmed Ghailani, Ahmad Al Tanzani, Abu Khabar, Abu Bakr, Abubakary Khalfan Ahmed Ghailani, Mahafudh Abubakar Ahmed Abdallah Hussein, Sharif Omar Mohammed, "Foopie", "Fupi", "Ahmed the Tanzanian".
Other possible dates of birth are April 13 or 14, 1974 or August 1, 1970.
Al-Ghailani is suspected of having played a major role in the terrorist attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania . In August 1998 a total of 224 people were killed and thousands injured. The American government offered a reward of up to 25 million US dollars for his capture.
On July 25, 2004, al-Ghailani was arrested after a twelve-hour firefight in the city of Gujrat, in eastern Pakistan . His arrest was confirmed by Pakistan's Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat and an official from the US government.
Al-Ghailani is married to an Uzbek woman and has children. They were arrested along with 15 other people (mostly from Africa). Two Kalashnikov assault rifles, chemicals, two computers, floppy disks and a large amount of foreign cash were also seized when he was arrested .
In November 2010, al-Ghailani was convicted by a US civil court. He was found guilty of " conspiracy to destroy US property" by the jury . He was acquitted on a further 285 counts, including conspiracy to murder US citizens, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, and murder. The public prosecutor described him as one of the masterminds and accused him of close ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist network. Accordingly, he bought the truck and explosives used in the attack in Tanzania. The defense argued that he did not know what he was buying. He was deceived by al-Qaeda. He would have had no direct knowledge of the attacks. In addition, he was tortured by CIA agents after his arrest .
According to the public prosecutor's office, al-Ghailani could face a sentence of between 20 years and life imprisonment . He was sentenced to life in prison on January 25, 2011 with no chance of pardon .
This was the first trial for an inmate from the controversial Guantanamo detention center in a US civil court. So far, the prisoners were brought before special military tribunals , where they had only reduced rights. This trial was seen as a test run for US President Barack Obama's plans to bring further trials to civil courts and to close Guantanamo.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b US jury finds former Guantanamo prisoner guilty in: Spiegel Online from November 18, 2010
- ^ First Guantánamo civil trial: acquittal on most points in: Tages-Anzeiger of November 18, 2010
- ↑ Guantánamo prisoner has to go to prison for life in: NZZ Online from January 25, 2011
- ↑ a b Life imprisonment for ex-Guantanamo prisoners in: Spiegel Online from January 25, 2011
- ↑ Guantánamo prisoner has to be behind bars for life ( memento from January 26, 2011 on WebCite ) in: ARD Tagesschau from January 25, 2011 (archive version)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ghailani, Ahmad Chalfan al- |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ghailani, Ahmad Khalfan; أحمد خلفان الغيلاني (Arabic) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Tanzanian terrorist, suspected al-Qaida member |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 14, 1974 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zanzibar , Tanzania |