Mohammed al-Qahtani

For the Saudi football player, see Mohammed Al-Qahtani. For the economics professor and human rights organisation co-founder, see Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani.

Mohammed al-Qahtani
BornMohammed Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani
(1975-11-19) November 19, 1975 (age 48)[1][2]
Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Detained at Guantanamo Bay
ISN63
Charge(s)Charged February 2008; charges dropped in May 2008; new charges in November 2008; charges dropped January 2009; habeas case reinstated, 2008.
StatusRepatriated March 2022

Mohammed Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani (Arabic: محمد ماني احمد القحطاني; sometimes transliterated as al-Kahtani; born November 19, 1975) is a Saudi citizen who was detained as an al-Qaeda operative for 20 years in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba. Qahtani allegedly tried to enter the United States to take part in the September 11 attacks as the 20th hijacker and was due to be onboard United Airlines Flight 93 along with the four other hijackers. He was refused entry due to suspicions that he was trying to illegally immigrate. He was later captured in Afghanistan in the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001.

After military commissions were authorized by Congress, in February 2008, Qahtani was charged on numerous counts. In May, the charges were dropped without prejudice. New charges were filed against him in November 2008 and dropped in January 2009, as evidence had been obtained through torture and was inadmissible in court. This was the first time an official of the Bush administration had admitted any torture of detainees at Guantanamo.

In a Washington Post interview in January 2009, Susan Crawford of the Department of Defense said "we tortured Qahtani", saying that the U.S. government had so abused Qahtani through isolation, sleep deprivation, forced nudity and exposure to cold that he was in a "life-threatening condition".[3][4][5]

On March 6, 2022, Qahtani was airlifted from Guantanamo Bay by the U.S. military and flown back to Saudi Arabia to a mental health treatment facility after 20 years in American custody.[6] His release was announced by the U.S. Department of Defense the next day.[7]

  1. ^ "Mohammed Al Qahtani" (PDF). Department of Defense. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "Guantanamo Detainee Profile" (PDF). Department of Defense. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Woodward, Bob (January 14, 2009). "Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Leopold, Jason (October 6, 2009). "Court Documents Reveal Existence of New Torture Tapes". TruthOut. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Worthington, Andy (January 20, 2009). "Bush Era Ends With Guantánamo Trial Chief's Torture Confession". Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Carol (March 7, 2022). "'20th Hijacker' Is Returned to Saudi Arabia for Mental Health Care". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Fox, Ben (March 7, 2022). "US sends home suspected '20th hijacker' from Guantanamo". Associated Press. Retrieved March 7, 2022.