Mohamed al-Kahtani

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Mohamed Mani Ahmad al-Kahtani (Arabic: محمد مانع أحمد القحطاني‎ sometimes transliterated Muhammed Al Kahtani or al-Qahtani or other ways) is an alleged member of the terrorist group al-Qaeda. He allegedly intended to come to the United States to take part in the September 11, 2001 attacks as a "muscle hijacker", but he was prevented due to suspicions that he was attempting to immigrate.

In November 2006, senior investigators with the Defense Department's Criminal Investigation Task Force (CITF) told MSNBC.com that military prosecutors said al-Kahtani would be "unprosecutable" because of what was done to him during interrogation. ^[1]

1 First arrest, and deportation by Immigration authorities
2 Second capture, transfer to Guantanamo
3 Torture log
4 Recantation
5 Prospects of trial uncertain
6 Post interrogation conditions of incarceration
7 References
8 External links

One of the organizers of the September 11 attacks, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, referred to al-Kahtani in intercepted telephone calls as "the last one" to "complete the group".

[edit] First arrest, and deportation by Immigration authorities

On August 4, 2001, al-Kahtani flew into Orlando, Florida from Dubai. Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker and pilot, drove to the Orlando International Airport to allegedly meet him, but al-Kahtani was being held by immigration officials. The officials were suspicious because al-Kahtani had little money, could speak no English, and used a one-way ticket. He frequently changed his story and could not adequately explain why he was visiting the United States. Thinking he was likely to become an illegal immigrant, al-Kahtani was sent back to Dubai. With the help of Hawsawi, he then travelled to Pakistan.

[edit] Second capture, transfer to Guantanamo

After the attacks, al-Kahtani was rounded up with many foreigners in Afghanistan and was sent to the United States Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After ten months, U.S. authorities discovered that he was an attempted hijacker, and he was interrogated.^[2] After details of his status were leaked, the US Department of Defense issued a press release stating that Kahtani had admitted:

He had been sent to the U.S. by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the lead architect of the 9/11 attack;
That he had met Osama Bin Laden on several occasions;
That he had received terrorist training at two al-Qaeda camps;
That he had been in contact with many senior al-Qaeda leaders.

According to the Department of Defense:^[3]

To understand Kahtani’s interrogation, it is important to remember the post-9/11 environment during this period.

There had just been anthrax attacks in the U.S. in December of 2001.

Richard Reid tried to blow up a U.S. airliner with a shoe bomb.

Over the spring and summer, there were deadly attacks in Tunisia and Pakistan.

In October 2002 al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri released a tape recording stating “God willing, we will continue targeting the keys of the American economy.”

In September and October, the FBI broke up the Buffalo six cell in New York.

On October 6, 2002, al-Qaeda attacked a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, an attack that harkened back to the killing of 17 service members on the USS Cole.

On October 8, 2002, al-Qaeda gunmen shot and killed a US Marine in Kuwait.

On October 12, 2002, al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Islamiya bombed a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, killing more than 200 and injuring about 300.

On November 28, 2002, al-Qaeda fired two anti aircraft missiles at a Boeing 757 aircraft flying from Mombassa, Kenya to Israel; suicide bombers also attacked the Paradise Hotel in Mombassa, Kenya killing 15 and injuring 40.

On December 30, 2002, three U.S. citizens were killed in Yemen during an attack on Baptist Missionary Hospital.

He is still held at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo.

[edit] Torture log

On March 3, 2006 Time magazine published the secret log of 49 days of 20-hour-per-day interrogation.^[4] The log described how al-Kahtani was forcibly administered intravenous fluids, and drugs, and was forcibly given enemas, in order to keep his body functioning well enough for the interrogations to go on.

The log, titled SECRET ORCON INTERROGATION LOG DETAINEE 063, offers a daily, detailed view of the interrogation techniques used to obtain confession from him from November 23 2002 to January 11 2003. These include:

Restraint on a swivel chair for long periods
Deprivation of sleep for long periods
Loud music and white noise played to prevent the detainee from sleeping
Various humiliations, such as training the detainee to act as a dog
Lowering the temperature in the room, then throwing water to the detainee's face
Forcing the detainee to pray to Osama Bin Laden
Various interrogation techniques described as "pride & ego down", "circumstancial evidence", "fear-up", or "Al Qaeda falling apart"

At no point during the interrogation log does al-Kahtani explicitly admit to being a member of Al Qaeda, although his stated reasons for travelling to the United States and Afghanistan - what the US interrogators refer to as his cover story - appear inconsistent. Furthermore, the entry for 2003-01-01 relates how al-Kahtani blames Osama bin Laden for deceiving the 19 9/11 hijackers ("his friends"): "2A0780 asked detainee if it made him mad that he killed his friends, detainee stated yes. 2A0780 asked detainee if he was glad that he didn’t die on the plane, detainee stated yes. 2A0780 asked detainee if his parents were happy that he didn’t die detainee stated yes. 2A0780 stated 'he killed your friends' detainee stated yes."

[edit] Recantation

On March 3, 2006, al-Kahtani's lawyer is allowed to reveal that her client had recanted the accusations he had levelled against his fellow detainees.^[5] He had told his lawyer that he was forced to falsely confess, and name names, in order to get his torture to end. Al-Kahtani had accused 30 other detainees of being former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden.

[edit] Prospects of trial uncertain

In November 2006, senior investigators with the Defense Department's Criminal Investigation Task Force (CITF) told MSNBC.com that they were told by military prosecutors that al-Kahtani would be "unprosecutable" because of what was done to him during interrogation. ^[6]

[edit] Post interrogation conditions of incarceration

On September 6, 2006 President Bush announced that 14 detainees who had been held in previously secret overseas CIA interrogation centres, and subjected to controversial interrogation techniques, like waterboarding and mock executions, had been sent to Guantanamo. The Washington Post reports that the new inmates will be held in conditions similar to those imposed on al-Kahtani, including isolation and 24 hours of continuous light.^[7]