Ismael Ali Farag Al Bakush

ISN: 708

Nationality: Libyan

The following is a summary of the allegations against Ismael Al Bakush found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading, then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.

Ismael Al Bakush told US interrogators that he traveled to Afghanistan to join the Islamic mujahedeen and fight Soviet forces in 1991. The Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. He could not have fought the Soviets in Afghanistan at that time.

Al Bakush said after the Soviet withdrawal, he remained in Afghanistan and fought the Soviet-supported Afghan government. He said beginning in 1994 he worked in Sudan for two years selling perfume imported from Pakistan. He said towards the end of 1994 he joined the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG).

KSM said the term “ready to wear perfumes” referred to military-grade explosives purchased from Afghanistan and sold in Pakistan. KSM said “local perfumes” referred to explosives manufactured by Al Qaeda operatives from locally available compounds. Al Bakush’s DAB says it is possible his reference to selling perfume may have indicated he was involved in facilitating the movement of explosives from Pakistan to Sudan.

Al Bakush said in 1997 he was told by the Sudanese government to leave the country. He said he flew to Syria where he was arrested and tortured for three months because they thought me might be an Israeli spy. He said he returned to Afghanistan later that year.

Al Bakush said he fought as a member of LIFG alongside the Taliban against the Northern Alliance in 2000 and 2001. He said he continued to fight against the Northern Alliance after it became an ally of the United States after the 9/11 attacks. He said that he did not fight against US forces.

Ismael Al Bakush was captured by Pakistani authorities at a suspected safe house. He was sent to Guantanamo on August 5, 2002.

The Libyan External Security Organization (ESO) said Al Bakush received militant training under the supervision of Pakistani Intelligence in a border region between Pakistan and Iran.

The ESO reported Ismael Al Bakush trained at Al Qaeda’s Al Faruq training camp.

Four LIFG members, Abu Abdallah Al-Sadiq, Sami Mustafa al-Sadi, Malik Al Andalusi, and Nasir Al Maghribi, identified Al Bakush as a member of the LIFG Military Committee.

Al Sadiq and Al Sadi said Al Bakush was an explosives trainer for LIFG. Al Andalusi and Al Maghribi said Al Bakush was an explosives expert.

The unclassified summary of evidence for Ismael Al Bakush’s 2006 ARB says Al Bakush wanted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to be overthrown. Al Bakush said he wanted to be released to a non-Arabic country. He said he did not believe the Libyan government would not treat him well if he was sent back to Libya.

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo task force recommended Ismael Al Bakush for continued detention.

Libyan rebels overthrew the government of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi with the help of NATO air strikes in 2011.

Rival militias continue to fight each other for power in Libya to this day. 

Omar Hamzayavich Abdulayev

Nationality: Tajik

ISN: 257

The following is a summary of the allegations against Omar Hamzayavich Abdulayev found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.   

Omar Abdulayev was transferred from Pakistani to US custody on January 3, 2002. The Pakistani government gave the US four notebooks in his handwriting they said he was captured with.

One notebook covered map symbols, military tactical symbols, rifle and pistol marksmanship, and Russian anti-aircraft weapons. The second covered explosives and poisons. The third covered how to hold secret meetings, terrorist cell organization, intelligence collection, and counterintelligence. The final notebook listed names of militants and serial numbers of the weapons issued to them.

Abdulayev told interrogators a former member of the Afghan military gave him books on military matters because Abdulayev wanted to be a soldier someday. He said he copied them in his own handwriting because the books were old.

The unclassified summary of Abdulayev’s 2007 Administrative Review Board says, “the journal notes are too disjointed and filled with gaps and errors to have been copied.” It goes on to say Abdulayev, “almost certainly composed these journals as a student at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan or Pakistan.”

Omar Abdulayev was sent to Guantanamo February 9, 2002.

Adel Al Zamel said Abdulayev told him that Abdulayev worked with Abu Zubaydah and Ibn Al Shaykh Al Libi. Abdulayev never told interrogators he knew either of them. There is no mention in Abdulayev’s DAB that either of the two men, both of whom were previously prisoners of the CIA, acknowledged a relationship with Abdulayev, as they had with other prisoners at Guantanamo.

Adel Al Zamel said Abdulayev told him he was trained in poisons at a base in Kabul by Al Qaeda explosives and poisons expert Abu Khabab Al Masri. Al Zamel said as part of his training Abdulayev had poisoned rabbits and saw a video depicting a dog being placed in a room with “smoke” that killed the dog.

Ravil Mingazov also told interrogators he received poisons training that included the testing of poisons on rabbits. Mingazov would later say he lied about being trained on poisons based on what he had heard about actual training so he wouldn’t be sent back to Russia to be persecuted.

Adel Al Zamel also made allegations against Obaidullah and Bostan Karim and said after his release that he was threatened by interrogators who placed a gun on a table during an interrogation.

Omar Abdulayev told his CSRT that his family fled the civil war in Tajikistan in 1992 when he was 12 or 13 years old. He said he had completed the 6^th grade when they left. He said his family went to live in a refugee camp in Afghanistan. He said that when his father went back to Tajikistan, he was killed by soldiers.

He said that after his father’s death his mother took the family to another refugee camp in Afghanistan where all men were required to join the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan, a militant group that was fighting against the Tajik government. He said that in late 2000 or early 2001 the family moved to the Babu refugee camp in Pakistan due to fighting in Afghanistan.

A foreign government service, likely a Pakistani intelligence agency, reported that Babu was a terrorist training camp. Abdulayev said Babu used to be a terrorist training camp before the Pakistani government shut it down and turned it into a refugee camp.

Omar Hamzayavich Abdulayev told his CSRT that he was captured by the intelligence service of Pakistan at a market in Pakistan in November 2001. He said they asked him for money and that when he told them he didn’t have any money, they put him in a prison basement. He said they gave him books and told him that if he copied them they would let him go. He said that after he said no, they beat and tortured him for a month, until he had no choice. He said they transferred him to another prison before turning him over, with the notebooks, to American forces.

He said he told his American interrogators what happened, but they didn’t believe him and beat him up.

Abdulayev told his CSRT, accurately, that the US paid Pakistan thousands of dollars for terrorist suspects. Abdulayev said, “The Pakistanis are making business out of this war.”

He said the Pakistani government, “knew that the more evidence they created, the more dangerous they made me, the more money they would make from the Americans.”

The unclassified summary of Abdulayev’s 2007 ARB says Abdulayev, “does not wish to return to Tajikistan, Pakistan, or Afghanistan because all of these governments are not good. He stated he would find his mother and seek asylum in whatever country would take him.”

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo Task Force recommended Omar Abdulayev for, “transfer to Tajikistan subject to appropriate security measures.” 

Muhammed Murdi Issa Zahrani

ISN: 713

Nationality: Saudi

The following is a summary of the allegations against Muhammed Zahrani found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.  

Zahrani told US interrogators he was trained by Al Qaeda in intelligence collection techniques, explosives, bombings, hijackings, mechanical repair, hotwiring, poisons, and forced entry.

Zahrani told US interrogators that he was part of a unit that carried out assassinations of Northern Alliance leaders. The Northern Alliance was an ally of the US during the initial phase of the US war in Afghanistan. Zahrani said he participated in the assassination of Northern Alliance commander Al Baba Jumba and Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Zahrani said that he fought on the front lines against the Northern Alliance.

Zahrani said that he executed an Egyptian suspected of spying on the militants for the Egyptian government. Zahrani also said that he participated in the interrogation of several suspected spies.

Zahrani was captured by Pakistani police during a house raid in May 2002.

Muhammed Zahrani was sent to Guantanamo in August 2002.

Zahrani said, “I am honored as a man to belong to Al Qaeda.” He also said, “I fought before and I will fight again,” and that if he is released he will “rejoin the jihad” wherever he is needed.

At his 2008 Administrative Review Board, Zahrani said he was not a member of Al Qaeda. He did not make this claim at his previous Administrative Review Boards. 


In January 2010 Obama's Guantanamo task force recommended Muhammed Zahrani for continued detention. 

Abdul Malik

ISN: 10025

Nationality: Kenyan

The following is a summary of the allegations against Abdul Malik found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.  

On February 13, 2007 Abdul Malik was arrested by Kenyan Anti-Terrorism police at a café.

According to unclassified testimony sent to his lawyers, Abdul Malik says that during a flight to a US military base in Djibouti, American soldiers took him to the door of the aircraft and threatened to throw him out.

Abdul Malik says that a US interrogator told him, “You have two possible journeys: one back to your family, or another that is very, very long. If you don’t tell us what we want to hear, you will have a long, long journey; you will spend your life in a cage.”

According to his DAB, Abdul Malik told US interrogators that he was a member of the East Africa Al Qaeda (EAAQ) network. Salim Awadh Salim, an admitted member of EAAQ, identified Abdul Malik as a member of EAAQ.

Abdul Malik’s DAB says he admitted personal involvement in the November 28, 2002 terrorist attack against the Kikambala Paradise Hotel. Malik said that TNT was packed inside dried rotting sharks, and thus was able to pass undetected through Kenyan customs inspection. 13 people died in the attack.

Abdul Malik’s DAB says he admitted he participated in the planning and execution of the 2002 terrorist missile attack against an Israeli civilian airliner. The airliner was carrying 271 passengers. Malik said that he was in charge of videotaping the attack. The attack was unsuccessful.

Omar Said Omar said he maintained e-mail contact with Abdul Malik regarding the casing of potential targets in 2003, including western embassies and airliners.

Abdul Malik was sent to Guantanamo on March 23, 2007.

Abdul Malik is one of the few Guantanamo prisoners who has not faced a CSRT or any other parole-board style hearing. 

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo task force recommended Abdul Malik for continued detention. 

Gouled Hassan Dourad

ISN: 10023

Nationality: Somali

The following is a summary of the allegations against Gouled Hassan Dourad found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.  

Dourad told US interrogators that he trained at the Khaldan militant training camp in Afghanistan. He told interrogators he was a member of AIAI, a Somali militant group. He also said he was a member of the East Africa Al Qaeda (EAAQ) network.

Dourad told US interrogators that he observed the US military base Camp Lemonier to see if it would be a viable target for a terrorist attack. He said he concluded it was not. Camp Lemonier is located in the country of Djibouti, which boarders Somalia.

Dourad’s DAB says that according to “credible reporting from multiple sources,” AIAI and EAAQ conducted operational planning and pre-operational surveillance on Camp Lemonier in late 2003 and early 2004. Dourad’s DAB says the militant groups decided to attack the base with explosives hidden in a water truck, but that arrests of their members in 2004 and 2005 disrupted the operation.

Abdul Malik told US interrogators that Dourad was a member of both AIAI and Al Qaeda. Malik would later say that at least some of his interrogations were conducted under duress.

The National Security Service of Djibouti reported that Dourad resided in the US awaiting his family’s sponsorship to the US. The agency said sponsorship was granted and that Dourad’s parents and siblings relocated to the US. The agency said Dourad returned to Somalia after the September 11 attacks. This report says Dourad was in the United States during the time he told interrogators he was training in Afghanistan.

Gouled Dourad did not attend his 2007 CSRT, but did provide statements to his personal representative. He said that was not a member of AIAI or Al Qaeda, but that he did fight alongside AIAI against the Ethiopians. He said he did not fight against Americans. He was not presented with the allegation that he observed Camp Lemonier in preparation for a potential attack. He did not contest the allegation that he received military training in Afghanistan.

Djiboutian Authorities captured Gouled Dourad at his home in March 2004 for his alleged involvement in terrorist activities. He was transferred to US custody and interrogated by the CIA, at a time when the CIA was authorized to torture prisoners. Dourad was sent to Guantanamo on September 4, 2006 to be prosecuted for alleged terrorist activities against the United States.

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo task force recommended Gouled Dourad for continued detention.

Gouled Dourad is one of 15 high value detainees imprisoned at Camp 7. The high value detainees are imprisoned separately from the general population at Guantanamo.  

Abdul Latif Nasir

ISN: 244

Nationality: Moroccan

The following is a summary of the allegations against Abdul Nasir found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.   

Abdul Nasir was captured by Northern Alliance forces with other suspected Al Qaeda fighters in December 2001.

Nasir was sent to Guantanamo in May 2002.

Nasir told US interrogators that he attempted to travel to Chechnya to fight but was unable to do so. Nasir said that he trained at an Al Qaeda training camp. Nasir said that he became an explosives trainer and a member of Al Qaeda’s explosives committee. He said that he fought alongside the Taliban against the US and the Northern Alliance.

Nasir also told US interrogators that the US missed their opportunity to capture Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora. He said the fighters had a lack of leadership, were poorly armed, and demoralized.

When shown a photo of Nasir, Abu Faraj al Libi said Nasir had trained at Al Qaeda’s Al Faruq training camp.  

Ibn Al Shaykh Al Libi said Nasir trained at the Al Faruq training camp and became an instructor.

Ahmad Al Darbi said that Nasir was an explosives instructor at the Al Faruq training camp.

Hamud al Jadani said Nasir was an explosives expert who assisted the Taliban in destroying the Bamyan Buddha figures in 1999. Hamud said that the Taliban sought assistance from Al Qaeda after their first attempt to destroy the statues failed.

Hamud also said that Nasir was a commander who fought against the US at the battle of Tora Bora.

Nasir has threatened the guards at Guantanamo with references to the 9/11 attacks. Nasir also praised terrorist attacks in Tunisia and Egypt that killed civilians.

At his 2007 ARB Nasir denied having said that he was a member of Al Qaeda, on the Al Qaeda explosives committee, or an explosives trainer. He said that he did not agree with the 9/11 attacks. He also said that if he was released he would go to Morocco to see his family and buy and sell merchandise.

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo task force recommended Abdul Nasir for continued detention. 

Mohammed Kamin

ISN: 1045

Nationality: Afghan

The following is a summary of the allegations against Mohammed Kamin found in publicly available US military documents. If US military documents about this prisoner are inaccurate or misleading then this summary will be as well. The introduction to this set of summaries explains some of the terms used below.  

On May 14, 2003 Kamin was stopped at a checkpoint in Khowst, Afghanistan. He was detained due to his possession of a handheld GPS. Kamin said he was transporting the GPS for Abdul Manan.

Kamin said that Abdul Manan was a local cell leader of JEM. JEM is a militant organization that seeks to end Indian rule over the Kashmir region. The US military believes that he was transporting the GPS for Al Qaeda. Kamin’s 2005 DAB says that the GPS stored locations for key targets along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Kamin told US interrogators that he traveled to and from Pakistan transporting and buying weapons, explosives, and equipment that he sold to members of Al Qaeda and other militant organizations. He said that he was trained on operating and detonating mines. He also said he received small arms training.

Mohammed Kamin was sent to Guantanamo in September 2004.

Kamin told his 2005 ARB that if he is released he will teach the Koran, work taking care of homes and land, and care for his handicapped father.

Mohammed Kamin was charged with material support for terrorism in a military commission in April 2008. The charge was dismissed without prejudice in December 2009.

In January 2010 Obama’s Guantanamo task force recommended Kamin for continued detention.