Guantanamo WikiLeaks Feature: The Youngest Detainee

Video of Omar Khadr's interrogation at Guantanamo

Omar Khadr is the youngest detainee and the only Western prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.

A Canadian citizen, Khadr was taken to Guantanamo in 2002 at the age of 15. In October 2010, he became one of the first detainees to be convicted by a military commission tribunal, pleading guilty under a pre-trial agreement to five charges including murder in violation of the law of war and providing material support for terrorism. He accepted an 8-year sentence, not including time served, with the possibility of a transfer to Canada after at least one year to serve the remainder of the sentence there.

This is Khadr's detainee file from 2004, in which the US military explains the need to keep him both because of his danger as an Al Qa'eda terrorist and of his value in providing intelligence.

See also Guantanamo WikiLeaks Feature: From "Probable Al Qa'eda Member" to US Ally in Libya (Nordland/Shane)

WikiLeaks Feature: The Revelations About Guantanamo Bay (Rosenberg and Lasseter)

JTF GTMO-CG 24 Januarv 2004

MEMORANDUM FOR Commander, United States Southern Command,3511 NW 9lst Avenue, Miami, FL 33172.
SUBJECT: (S) Recommendation to Retain under DoD Control for Guantanamo Detainee, Omar Ahmed Khader. ISN: US9CA-000766DP

1. (S) Personal Information: Omar Ahmed Khader is a Canadian national, born on 19 September 1986 (age 18) in Toronto, Canada (CA). He is in good health.

2. (S) Detention Information: Detainee claims that he lived in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region since 1996. In June 2002, detainee was encouraged by his father, a senior Al-Qaida leader in Canada and close associate of Usama Bin Laden, to travel to Khowst, AF, to translate for Al-Qaida personnel and to participate in Jihad against the United States. Detainee received training and instruction on how to bui ld and plant Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and how to plant land mines (it is not known where or when the detainee learned these skills). Detainee has also admitted to taking part in several mining and combat operations. In July 2002, detainee was present during a raid on a suspected Al-Qaida compound by US Special Forces, during which a gun battle ensued. During the raid, detainee threw a hand grenade and killed a US Special Forces soldier. Detainee was wounded and captured after killing the USSF soldier. Detainee was subsequently transported to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, on 27 October 2002 because of his part in the death of a US soldier and his affiliation with Al-Qaida.

3. (S) Reasons for Continued Detention at GTMO: Detainee's father is a senior Al-Qaida financier and reportedly the fourth in command underneath Usama Bin Laden in the Al-Qaida organization. The detainee and his brother were encouraged to travel to Afghanistan and fight against the US in support of Al-Qaida and the Taliban. Detainee, though only 16 years old at the time of his travel to Afghanistan, has been found to be intelligent and educated and understands the gravity of his actions and affiliations. Detainee excelled at his training in Afghanistan, which included small arms, explosives training, IEDs, mines, mine laying, and configuring IEDs for remote detonation using hand held devices. Detainee admits to having participated in several mining operations and harassing attacks against US Forces, in addition to throwing the grenade that killed a US solider. Detainee has never expressed any genuine remorse for the killing of that soldier. He has direct family affiliations with senior Al-Qaida members, has received advanced specialized training in explosives, and has directly participated in hostile attacks against US Forces. Detainee claims that his entire family lived at one of Usama Bin Laden's compounds in Jalalabad, AF. Detainee continues to provide valuable information on his father's associates, and on non-governmental organizations that he worked with in supporting Al-Qaida, as well as other major facilitators of interest to the US. Detainee has also provided valuable information on the Derunta, Al-Farouq and Khalden training camps, indicating that the detainee has been to and likely trained at these locations; and he continues to provide valuable information on key Al -Qaida and Taliban members. Finally, detainee has been generally cooperative and forthcoming but has grown increasingly hostile towards his interrogators and the guard force and he remains committed to extremist Islamic values.

4. (S) Assessment: Based on information collected and available to Joint Task Force Guantanamo as of 20 January 2004, detainee ISN: US9CA-000766DP is assessed as being a member of Al-Qaida. Moreover, based on the detainee's folder, the knowledgeability brief, and subsequent interrogations by JTF Guantanamo, the detainee is of high intelligence value to the United States. Based on the above, detainee poses a high risk, as he is likely to pose a threat to the U.S., its interests or its allies.

5. (S) EC Status: Detainee's enemy combatant status was reassessed on 31 October 2003 and he remains an enemy combatant.

6. (S) Recommendation: Retain under DoD control.

7. (S) Coordination: JTF Guantanamo notified the Criminal Investigative Task Force of this recommendation on 22 December 2003. JTF GMTO and CITF agree on the threat assessment of this detainee as a high risk.