The US Division of Protection (DoD) Thursday confirmed the discharge from Guantanamo Bay of Majid Khan, a former cash courier for al-Qaeda. The discharge follows a switch settlement between the US and Belize. The deal, which can see the Central American nation of Belize home Khan inside its borders, is the primary of its sort because the Obama administration. The Middle for Constitutional Rights, the group representing Khan, praised the discharge as “a turning level for the administration” and referred to as once more for the US to honor its promise to shut Guantanamo Bay.
Majid Khan, a Pakistani citizen who grew up exterior Baltimore, got here to the US as a young person. Khan described himself to a army court docket as a “regular American teenager,” and recalled his early need to combine into American tradition. Nevertheless, after the sudden loss of life of his mom, Khan started to spend extra time with Islamic fundamentalists. In 2002, Khan returned to Pakistan to discover a spouse. Whereas in Pakistan, Khan grew near his cousin, whom Khan described as a “‘huge shot’ in Pakistan” attributable to his involvement with al-Qaeda.
On December 4, 2002, Khan delivered $50,000 to an al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group in Thailand. The group would use the money to assist fund a 2003 suicide bombing in Indonesia that left 11 lifeless. In early 2003, the CIA took custody of Khan, and retained him till 2006. Each Khan’s particular person testimony and a 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report allege that the CIA mentally and bodily tortured Khan, together with a number of cases of sexual assault. In 2006, then President George W. Bush ordered Khan to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay, the place he remained for the subsequent 16 years. In 2012, Khan pled responsible to his participation with al-Qaeda, and started to totally cooperate with the US authorities.
In a letter revealed upon his launch from Guantanamo, Khan accepted full duty for his actions and pledged to the individuals of Belize “to be a productive, law-abiding member of society.” Following Khan’s launch, 34 males remain imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Of these 34, 20 are at present cleared for launch.
