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.