John Walker Lindh | |
|---|---|
 Lindh in January 2002 | |
| Born | John Philip Walker Lindh February 9, 1981 Washington, D.C., US |
| Other names | Sulayman al-Faris, Abu Sulayman al-Irlandi, Yahya |
| Occupation | Taliban member |
| Criminal status | Released (After Supervision ended May 23, 2022) |
| Parent(s) | Marilyn Walker and Frank Lindh |
| Conviction(s) | Supplying services to the Taliban (50 U.S.C. § 1705) Carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony (18 U.S.C. § 844) |
| Criminal penalty | 20 years imprisonment |
John Philip Walker Lindh (born February 9, 1981) is an American Taliban member who was captured by United States forces as an enemy combatant during the United States' invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001. He was detained at Qala-i-Jangi fortress, used as a prison. He denied participating in the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi,[1] a violent uprising of the Taliban prisoners, stating that he was wounded in the leg and hid in the cellar of the Pink House, in the southern half of the fort. He was one of the 86 prisoners who survived the uprising, from an estimated 400 prisoners in total. CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann was killed during that uprising.[2] Brought to trial in United States federal court in February 2002, Lindh accepted a plea bargain; he pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released on supervision on May 23, 2019, for a three-year period of supervised release.[3]
A convert to Sunni Islam in California at age 16, Lindh traveled to Yemen in 1998 to study Arabic and stayed there for 10 months. He later returned in 2000, then went to Afghanistan to aid the Taliban in fighting against the Afghan Northern Alliance. He received training at Al-Farouq, a training camp associated with al-Qaeda, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other countries. While at the camp, he attended a lecture by Osama bin Laden. After the 9/11 attacks, he remained with the Taliban military forces despite learning that the U.S. had become allied with the Northern Alliance. Lindh had previously received training with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, an internationally designated terrorist organization based in Pakistan.[4][5][6][7]
Lindh went by the name Sulayman al-Faris during his time in Afghanistan but prefers the name Abu Sulayman al-Irlandi today.[8] In early reports following his capture, when the press learned that he was a US citizen, he was usually referred to by the news media as just "John Walker".[9]
- ^ Myre, Greg (May 23, 2019). "John Walker Lindh, The 'American Taliban', Set To Be Released". NPR.org. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Harnden, Toby, First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. Little, Brown, 2021. p. 193 [ISBN missing]
- ^ Barakat, Matthew (May 23, 2019). "'American Taliban' Lindh freed after 17 years in prison". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Original Indictment Archived December 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine John Walker Lindh Indictment
- ^ Statement of Facts Archived June 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine U.S. Department of Justice
- ^ Lindh, Frank. "Truth About John Lindh (speech) Archived April 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine"
- ^ Mayer, Jane (2008). The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals. New York: Doubleday. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-385-52639-5.
- ^ "Cageprisoners: The Ballad of the Fleas". pub. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (December 8, 2001). "The Taliban Next Door". Time. Archived from the original on December 9, 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2009.