Ibrahim al Qosi, a former Guantanamo detainee, is one of three senior AQAP leaders featured in a video released this week titled, “Secrets, its Dangers and the Departure of the Best of Us.” The video is focused on the US drone campaign and the jihadists’ lapses in security.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a two-part lecture by ex-Guantanamo detainee Ibrahim al Qosi earlier this month. Qosi threatened the Saudi government and explained al Qaeda’s rationale for waging jihad in Arabia. Qosi has starred in several AQAP productions since the group revealed his leadership role in early December.
According to the latest estimate released by the US intelligence community, 167 ex-Gitmo detainees are “confirmed” or “suspected” of reengaging in “terrorist or insurgent activities.”
A DC district court released its opinion denying Guantanamo detainee Bostan Karim’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Karim led an IED cell that targeted Americans, and several other members of his network were detained at Guantanamo.
During congressional testimony, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that the estimated recidivist rate for ex-Gitmo detainees has risen to 27 percent; 161 ex-Gitmo detainees are now either “confirmed” or “suspected” recidivists.
AQAP has released a biography commemorating former Guantanamo detainee Hani Abdo Shaalan. In the video, AQAP claims that Shaalan was killed in an American airstrike in December 2009. Previously, the Yemeni government claimed that Shaalan was killed during a shootout with government forces.
The New York Times reports that Osama bin Laden’s courier was found to be in contact with members of Harakat ul Mujahedin (HUM), a terrorist organization long backed by Pakistan’s spy agency. Leaked Guantanamo files provide more details about the relationship between HUM and al Qaeda.
A former Guantanamo detainee was reportedly involved in plotting against targets in Saudi Arabia in December 2009, two years after he was repatriated to the country. He remains a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Jabir Jubran al Fayfi, a former Gitmo detainee who fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir, has been arrested in Yemen. Along with other former Gitmo detainees, al Fayfi joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Said al Shihri, an ex-Gitmo detainee who is one of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s most senior leaders, issued an audiotape earlier this month seeking the support of Saudi soldiers and security officers. Al Shihri’s tape echoes the messaging of al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who has sought to convince Muslim soldiers to serve al Qaeda.
A former Gitmo detainee who rejoined al Qaeda after being repatriated surrendered to authorities in Yemen.
According to a new report by the US State Department, Usama Abu Kabir, a former Gitmo detainee, was arrested in Jordan in April 2009 while plotting a terrorist attack against Israel. Kabir was allegedly the leader of a terrorist cell.
Abdul Rauf Khadim, a former Gitmo detainee, sent a handwritten note threatening Afghan tribal elders who cooperate with Coalition forces and the Afghan government. Khadim is one of two former Gitmo detainees who are part of Mullah Omar’s inner circle.
Issa Khan, who had been detained at Guantanamo for nearly three years, has been arrested in the Bannu district of northwestern Pakistan. Khan reportedly rejoined the Taliban after his release and became a Pakistani Taliban commander.
Although the Saudi government has not identified the 25 terrorists released from Guantanamo Bay who are known to have returned to jihad, 15 of them can be identified.
Othman Ahmed al Ghamdi, a former Gitmo detainee, has risen within al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s ranks to commander. He is featured in a tape, along with other AQAP leaders, that celebrates the Fort Hood shooting and the failed Christmas Day 2009 attack, and also threatens further attacks on America.
Abdul Hafiz, a former Gitmo detainee, has reportedly rejoined the Taliban and is leading efforts to terrorize charities operating in Afghanistan. Hafiz was transferred to Afghanistan in December 2009 and is the first reported recidivist released by the Obama administration.
A former Gitmo detainee, Hani Abdo Shaalan, was killed in Yemen as he was reportedly preparing to participate in an attack on the British embassy and other Western targets. At Gitmo, Shaalan admitted that he worked for the Taliban yet downplayed his role, but evidence indicates he was recruited and trained by the Taliban.
Former Gitmo detainee Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish has emerged as a leading ideologue for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Rubaish repeatedly attacks the Saudi government in his messages and has justified assassinations of Saudi officials. At Gitmo, Rubaish admitted he was a committed jihadist who had been trained in an al Qaeda camp.
Former Guantanamo detainee Yousef Mohammed al Shihri was killed in an Oct. 13 shootout at a checkpoint along the Saudi-Yemeni border. He was reportedly dressed like a woman and planned to commit a suicide attack. Prior to being transferred from Guantanamo, al Shihri allegedly made it clear that he hated all Americans.
A former Guantanamo detainee named Fahd Saleh Suleiman al Jutayli has reportedly been killed in a shootout in Yemen. Prior to his repatriation to Saudi Arabia, Jutayli was accused of having fought at Tora Bora.