Mehdi Ghezali

Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali ( Arabic مهدي محمد غزالي, DMG Mahdī Muḥammad Ġazālī ; * July 5, 1979 in Stockholm ), formerly known in the media as the Kuba-Swede (Swedish: Kubasvensken ), is a Swedish citizen of Algerian and Finnish origin. He was in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp as a so-called unlawful combatant ( unlawful combatant interned, mutatis mutandis unlawful combatants) from January 2002 to July 2004.

overview

Ghezali had visited a madrasa in the UK before traveling to Saudi Arabia , Afghanistan and then Pakistan . He was arrested in Pakistan. After his release from Guantanamo, the Swedish government did not bring any further criminal charges against him, including criminal acts prior to his imprisonment.

According to the Stockholm News website, Pakistani security services had suspected Ghezali of being involved in a prison riot in which 17 people were killed. It was reported that Ghezali contradicted this claim. Pakistani security officials reported that a man with the Ghezali passport on him was one of 12 foreigners arrested on August 28, 2009 while attempting to cross the border into Afghanistan. According to the Associated Press, Ghezali was among a group of 156 suspected al-Qaeda fighters captured while escaping the Afghan Tora Bora cave complex after the Battle of Tora Bora .

Early life and travel

Mehdi Ghezali was born on July 5, 1979 in the municipality of Botkyrka ( Stockholm Province ) and grew up in Örebro . His father is an immigrant from Algeria and his mother is from Finland. After completing secondary school in 1999, he learned the profession of welder. In the same year he was suspected of theft. However, since he left Sweden, he could not be interrogated by the Swedish police. His father told the police that Ghezali had left for Algeria to do his military service. However, Ghezali had traveled to Portugal and was picked up there on July 31, 1999 by the Portuguese police in the Algarve . He was suspected of bank robbery and jewelry theft, along with his partner Stavros Christos Toilos. 600,000 euros were stolen from the bank robbery in Albufeira . The jewelry stolen in Playe de la Galé was valued at 5,000 euros. On June 12, 2000, Ghezali and his partner were released from prison after spending 10 months there without charge. They returned to Sweden.

Ghezali then traveled to Medina in Saudi Arabia to study at the university. However, he was not accepted and returned to Sweden for a short period in the spring of 2001 before traveling to London to study with Omar Bakri Mohammed at the madrasa . In the summer of 2001 he then traveled to Pakistan to study at one of the madrasas there. However, after failing to be accepted in any madrasa, he traveled to Afghanistan. According to his own statements, he lived there with his family in Jalalabad . Ghezali testified that he lived a simple life there, played with the children and watched the Afghans live. According to press reports, Ghezali lived in the “Algerian House”, a well-known place of residence ( safe house ) for al-Qaida fighters in Jalalabad. The information obtained during interrogation of the captured terrorist Ahmed Ressam describes the “Algerian House” as part of the training camp known as “biot al-ansar” (House of Sympathizers).

Capture and imprisonment

When the US forces and the Afghan Northern Alliance bombed the Tora Bora refuge , large numbers of al-Qaida sympathizers and other people from the affected areas fled south to Pakistan. Mehdi Ghezali was captured by local warlords in Pakistan, in the Tora Bora Mountains, near the Pakistani-Afghan border. He was handed over to the US military. They took him to the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba. During his stay in Guantanamo, Ghezi was visited by representatives of the Swedish government (February 2001, January and July 2003 and January 2004). They informed him that a lawyer had been appointed for him in Sweden (Peter Althin), that his case had been raised in international contacts and that the Swedish media reported on his case several times. Ghezali reportedly declined to speak to representatives of the Swedish government about what he was doing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US Department of Defense issued a list of detainees in US custody in Guantanamo on May 15, 2006; on this list Ghezali had the prisoner number (English Internment Serial Number ; short: ISN) 166. His place of birth was given by the Ministry of Defense as Stockholm.

release

After Ghezali was an illegal combatant in Guantanamo for 930 days, he was handed over to the Swedish government on July 8, 2004, as he was no longer considered a threat to the United States. He had no information of interest to American intelligence and he had not committed a crime that could be proven in a military tribunal. Ghezi was flown home in a Gulfstream IV jet by the Swedish Air Force at state expense (an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 Swedish kronor = 60,000 to 71,000 euros) .

The Swedish public prosecutor initially found that he was being charged for his previous offenses before he left Sweden. The charges were later dropped. Ghezali was also threatened. It was said that the Swedish government had given him too much support. Ghezali was the person of an English-language documentary about the Guantanomo camp - Gitmo - The New Rules of War .

A Boston Globe article about Guantanamo prisoners returning to terrorism after their release also mentioned Ghezali. The article also stated that he was being watched by the Swedish secret service. Ghezali said in his book that he felt he was being watched intensely by the Säkerhetspolisen (SÄPO), both at home and on the go. He claimed that the surveillance made him feel depressed.

Post release notices

After his release, Ghezali criticized the Swedish government for not helping him enough. He contradicted the Foreign Office that he had been told he had been hired by a Swedish lawyer and that the Swedish government had taken steps for him. The Swedish Foreign Ministry again contradicted this, because it had documented the meetings with Ghezali. One psychologist suggested that Ghezali's memory of the events might be marred by the stress of capture and imprisonment.

Describing his stay at Guantanamo Camp, Ghezali alleged that he was tortured with sleep deprivation and forced to sit in an interrogation room for 13 hours straight. He is planning a class action lawsuit against the United States. Together with Gösta Hultén he edited a book about the time of his imprisonment in Guantanamo.

Arrested and released in Pakistan in 2009

The Swedish television program Rapport reported on September 10, 2009 that Ghezali was one of a group of 12 foreigners who had been arrested in Pakistan a week earlier in Dera Ghazi Khan province. They were suspected of being linked to al-Qaeda. Pakistani security guards reported that the 12 men were captured on August 28, 2009. Of the 12 men, three (including Ghezali) were Swedish citizens, seven were Turkish citizens, one were Russian citizens, and one was Iranian citizens. Pakistani police chief Mohammad Rizwan said the men were arrested while trying to enter the Punjab province through a checkpoint . He said the police found CDs, money and literature on them, suggesting links to terrorist activities. After their arrest, Ghezali and the other two Swedish citizens were transferred to Islamabad . Rizwan described Ghezali as a very dangerous man.

Ghezali's lawyer, Anton Strand, replied to reporters' questions whether he was surprised by the arrest of his client: "Yes, I am surprised. You have to know that Ghezali has traveled to this region before and that he is interested in the region . He is religious and has friends and contacts there. " The English-language Swedish newspaper The Local quoted Gösta Hultén, the author of Ghezali's book. He said that Ghezali's father believed Ghezali was on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. He said that Ghezali had called from Saudi Arabia a few days earlier, about a week after the Pakistani authorities reported the arrest of the ten men. Hultén reported that the father was very angry about the allegations against Mehdi over connections with al-Qaeda. After all, he had already been acquitted of these suspicions. On September 13, 2009, the Swedish authorities confirmed that Pakistan had arrested three Swedish citizens. However, they did not provide any information about the identity of the people.

On September 16, 2009, two of Ghezali's travel companions were identified. It was reported that 28-year-old Munir Awad, 19-year-old Safia Benaouda, and their two-and-a-half-year-old son were arrested. The accusation loud that the four Sweden to Miranshah in Waziristan travel to where the suspected Taliban take-Leader Zahir Noor. Ghezali explained that the group was going to Lahore to take part in a harmless meeting with the Muslim revival movement Tablighi Jamaat . The Swedes were released on October 10, 2009. You were put on a plane to Sweden at 8 a.m. GMT. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik had informed the Swedish diplomats on October 6, 2009 that he would receive an official report on the arrested Swedes on October 7, 2009 and that he would then decide whether they would continue to be detained. The Swedish newspaper The Local also reported the additional charge that the group was in the restricted area near a nuclear facility. The Swedish ambassador Ulrika Sundberg accompanied the Swedes on their flight.

At the time of her release, the Swedish authorities had still not received an official report on the arrests from Pakistan. At a press conference on November 23, 2003, Ghezali's lawyers revealed more details of the trip. They assured that Ghezali and his travel companions only decided at the last moment, during a trip to countries in the Middle East , to change their travel plans and to include Pakistan in their itinerary. They had been told by the coordinator of the trip that their visas for travel within Pakistan could be processed upon arrival. His lawyers expressed concern that Swedish intelligence would continue to monitor Ghezali. They said that press speculation that the purpose of the trip to Pakistan was to aid jihad was unfair and was not supported by any evidence.

Alleged involvement in the bomb attack in Burgas

Bulgarian media suspected on July 19, 2012 that Ghezali could be the suicide bomber in the attack at Burgas Airport on July 18, 2012. The Swedish security police then issued a brief statement that Ghezali was not the attacker.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} “Finnish Taleban” arrested in Pakistan
2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from February 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - with online news in English 
3. ↑ ^{a b} September 2009 Swedish former Guantanamo prisoner arrested in Pakistan , Stockholm News. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009.  
4. ↑ ^{a b} Khalid Tanveer: September 2009 Swede held in Pakistan over possible terror links , Associated Press . September 11, 2009. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. "Ghezali reportedly was part of a group of 156 suspected al-Qaida fighters caught while fleeing Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains." 
5. ^ Luke Funk: Former Guantanamo Bay Detainee Arrested In Pakistan , Fox News . September 11, 2009. 
6. ^ Asif Shahzad: Police: Pakistan suspect is Swede once at Gitmo , Associated Press . September 14, 2009. 
7. ↑ Stephanie Gaskell: Guantanamo prisoners caught up in Afghan war . In: The Item , March 30, 2002. Retrieved July 19, 2012. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Han bodde i Usamas hus , Expressen . July 18, 2004. Retrieved September 14, 2009. 
9. ↑ Las tramas de Bin Laden en el sur de Portugal , El Mundo , August 1, 2002
10. ↑ ^{a b c} Guantanamo Swede seeks damages ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Local , July 23, 2004 
11. ↑ Mehdi Ghezali ( Memento of the original from February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Contra , July 20, 2004 
12. ↑ list of prisoners (.pdf) , US Department of Defense , May 15, 2006
13. ↑ Guantanamo Swede released ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , The Local , July 9, 2004 
14. ↑ http://www.imdb.com ; Review (swedish)
15. ^ John J. Lumpkin: 7 ex-detainees return to fighting: Guantanamo release process called imperfect , Boston Globe . October 18, 2004. “In Sweden, Mehdi-Muhammed Ghezali, who was released in July after more than two years at the base, is being monitored by Swedish intelligence agents. While Sweden's security police, SAPO, gave no official comment, its agents have said Ghezali is not a threat. " 
16. ↑ Kubasvensken kände sig förföljd av Säpo, Dagens Nyheter , March 17, 2005
17. ↑ Ghezali blev informerad av UD, Göteborgs-Posten , 19 July 2004
18. ↑ "Ghezali kan ha förtrann information", Dagens Nyheter , July 20, 2004
19. ↑ start på Guantánamo: Mehdi Ghezali berättar. (Swedish; prisoner in Guantanamo: Mehdi Ghezali tells) ISBN 91-7343-086-2
20. ↑ ^{a b} Svensk Guantanamofånge gripen i Pakistan (Swedish) . In: Rapport , Sveriges Television , September 10, 2009. 
21. ↑ ^{a b c} Linda Hjertén: Svenska Guantanamo-fången gripen i Pakistan (Swedish) . In: Aftonbladet , September 10, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009. 
22. ^ Zahid Hussain: Swedish national Mehdi Ghezali arrested on Afghanistan-Pakistan border , The Times . September 12, 2009. 
23. ↑ Thomas Joscelyn: September 2009 'Guantanamo Swede' reportedly arrested in Pakistan , Longwar Journal. September 11, 2009. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. 
24. ↑ ^{a b c} September 2009 'Guantánamo Swede' arrested in Pakistan , The Local. September 11, 2009. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009.  
25. ^ September 2009 Sweden confirms Pakistan arrests , The Local. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009.  
26. ↑ September 2009 Sweden confirms 3 nationals held in Pakistan , Taiwan News . September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009.  
27. ↑ September 2009 Terror suspect Swedes still detained: Pakistan , The Local. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.  
28. ↑ ^{a b c} Terror suspect Swedes freed from Pakistan , The Local. October 10, 2009. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009.  
29. ↑ Pakistan Swedes Freed , Sveriges Radio . October 10, 2009. 
30. ↑ November 2009 Lawyers explain Pakistan trip by 'Guantánamo Swede' , The Local. November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. "The lawyers explain that the decision to travel to Pakistan arose while the group was traveling through other countries in the Middle East and that the trip was arranged by a tour operator, which had told Ghezali and the other Swedes that visas could be arranged en route. "  
31. ↑ November 2009 Lawyers: Ex-detainee's trip was innocent , United Press International . November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. 
32. ^ Ghezali Defends Pakistan Trip , Radio Sweden. November 23, 2009. 
33. ^ Bulgarian press names bomber: Mehdi Ghezali , The Times of Israel. 19th July 2012. 
34. ↑ Säpo avfärdar rykte om misstänkt svensk (Swedish) , Expressen . 19th July 2012. 
35. ^ Swedish, Bulgarian officials deny Mehdi Ghezali is Burgas suicide bomber . Haaretz.com. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.