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{{Short description|Saudi Taliban militant and Guantanamo Bay detainee}}
{{Cleanup-rewrite|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox War on Terror detainee
{{USgovtPOV|date=December 2009}}
| name = Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri
{{Infobox WoT detainees
| image =
| subject_name = Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri
| image_name =
| image_size = | image_size =
| image_caption = | caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1973|04|17}}<ref> Department of Defense</ref>
| date_of_birth = {{Birth date and age|1973|04|17}}
| place_of_birth = ], ] | birth_place = ], ]
| date_of_arrest = | date_of_arrest =
| place_of_arrest= | place_of_arrest=
Line 13: Line 12:
| date_of_release = | date_of_release =
| place_of_release= | place_of_release=
| date_of_death = May 31, 2007 | death_date = {{death date and age|2007|5|31|1973|4|17}}
| place_of_death = Guantanamo | death_place = Guantanamo
| citizenship = | citizenship =
| detained_at = ] | detained_at = ]
| id_number = 199 | id_number = 199
| group = | group =
| alias = Rahman Ma'adha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari<br> | alias = Rahman Ma'adha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari<br />
Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir (al Umari) al Amri<br> Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir (al Umari) al Amri<br />
Abd al Rahman Maadha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari Abd al Rahman Maadha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari
| charge = No charge (held in ]) | charge =
| penalty = | penalty =
| status = Died in custody | status = Died in custody
Line 32: Line 31:
| children = | children =
}} }}
'''Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri''' ({{lang-ar|'''عبدالرحمن العمري'''}}) (April 17, 1973 in ], Saudi Arabia — May 30, 2007) was a citizen of ], held in ] in the ] ]s, in ].<ref name=DoDList2>, '']'', May 15, 2006</ref> '''Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri''' ({{langx|ar|عبدالرحمن العمري}}) (April 17, 1973, in ], Saudi Arabia — May 30, 2007) was a citizen of ], held in ] as an ] in the ] ]s, in ].<ref name=DoDList2>, '']'', May 15, 2006</ref>
Al Amri's Guantanamo ] was 199.


Press reports identified Al Amri as a Saudi that the DoD reported had committed suicide on May 30, 2007.<ref name=Cfnews13-20070531> Press reports said that the DOD reported al-Amri had committed suicide on May 30, 2007.<ref name=Cfnews13-20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.cfnews13.com/News/International/2007/5/31/u.s._dead_detainee_was_of_high_value.html |url=http://www.cfnews13.com/News/International/2007/5/31/u.s._dead_detainee_was_of_high_value.html
| title=U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value |title=U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value
| date=Thursday, May 31, 2007 |date=May 31, 2007
| publisher=Central Florida News |publisher=Central Florida News
| accessdate=2007-05-31 |accessdate=2007-05-31
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194411/http://www.cfnews13.com/News/International/2007/5/31/u.s._dead_detainee_was_of_high_value.html
|archivedate=2007-09-27
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref name=StratforSuicide20070531> }}</ref><ref name=StratforSuicide20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?selected=Situation%20Reports&sitrep=1&id=289508 |url = http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?selected=Situation%20Reports&sitrep=1&id=289508
| title=U.S.: Guantanamo Suicide Was "High-Value" Inmate |title = U.S.: Guantanamo Suicide Was "High-Value" Inmate
| publisher=] |publisher = ]
| date=May 31, 2007 |date = May 31, 2007
| accessdate=2007-05-31 |accessdate = 2007-05-31
}}</ref><ref name=MiamiHerald20070531> }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=MiamiHerald20070531>{{cite news
{{cite news
| url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/124352.html | url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/124352.html
| title=Dead Gitmo captive was Saudi military veteran | title=Dead Gitmo captive was Saudi military veteran
| author=] | author=Carol Rosenberg
| author-link=Carol Rosenberg
| date=May 31, 2007 | date=May 31, 2007
| publisher=] | publisher=]
| accessdate=2007-05-31 | accessdate=2007-05-31
}}{{dead link|date=August 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He had not been charged with any war crimes and had never met with an attorney.
}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
== Combatant Status Review ==
Abdul Rahman al-Amri was born on April 17, 1973, in ], ]. He did not get any more education than middle school. He went into the Saudi Arabian Army, where he served for nine years and four months. He had trained with American advisers and was taught to use antitank weapons, artillery and light weaponry.<ref name="white">, ''The Washington Post'', 31 May 2007, accessed 8 February 2013</ref>


He went to Afghanistan to fight with the ].
{{CSRT-Yes}}<ref name=CsrtSummaryOfEvidenceAbdalRahmanMaadhaDhafiralHilalaAlUmari/><ref name=CsrtAbdulRahmanMaAthThafirAlAmri>
, from ]'s '']'' - pages 21-22</ref>


==Surrender after Tora Bora==
{{quotation|
CSRT hearing records said that he surrendered to Pakistani police in December 2001 after fighting at ]. He had admitted to carrying an ] assault rifle.
:a. The detainee is a member of al Qaida:
:#The detainee stated it was his duty to fight for Jihad.
:#The detainee has personal knowledge of al Qaida operatives in Afghanistan.
:#The detainee began his travel to Afghanistan in September 2001.
:#The detainee's travels took him from Jordan to Damascus, Syria; then to Tehran, Iran before reaching Kandahar and Kabul, Afghanistan.
:#The detainee stayed at a guesthouse in Kabul where he relinquished his passport and belongings before leaving for the front lines to fight.
:#The detainee was identified as having the alias Abu Anas.
:#The detainee was identified as the person responsible for providing a movie that provided all the details on how the USS Cole was attacked and the explosives that were used.
:#The detainee was identified as Abu Anas, a person responsible for providing a movie regarding the 11 September 2001 attacks.


After being transferred to Guantanamo in early 2002, he was never charged with crimes and never met with an attorney. DOD said that he was not given permission to meet with an attorney as he was not a party to a '']'' petition.
:b. The detainee participated in hostile operations against the coalition.
:#The detainee was trained in the Saudi Arabian Army on anti-tank-weapons, artillery, and light weapons.
:#The detainee fought in Tora Bora.
:#The detainee admits carrying an AK-47 while retreating from Baghram, Afghanistan.
:#The detainee surrendered to the Pakistani Police.
}}


==Hunger strikes==
===Captive 199's statement===
The '']'' reported that at Guantanamo, Al Amri had participated in several ].<ref name=WapoHungerStriker20070531>

{{wikisource|Summarized Unsworn Detainee Statement (Guantanamo captive 199's response to CSR Tribunal allegations)}}

The Department of Defense did not release a transcript from the unclassified session of his Tribunal.
The Department of Defense did release a two page document entitled: "].

The final paragraph of the document is an authentication, signed by the ]:
{{quotation|I certify the material contained in this transcript is a true and accurate summary of the testimony given
during the proceedings.}}

The first paragraph of the document stated: {{quotation|The Personal Representative provided the following statement on behalf of the detainee:}}

The rest of the document consisted of brief paraphrases as captive 199's responses to the allegations.
*Captive 199 acknowledged traveling to Afghanistan.
*Captive 199 acknowledged seeing Osama bin Laden, from a distance.
*Captive 199 acknowledged going by the name '''"Abu Anas"''' while in Afghanistan. But he said he never finished school, there were other foreigners who used the same pseudonym, and he stated it must have been one of them who was responsible for the video about the the USS Cole bombing.

{{ARB}}

===First annual Administrative Review Board hearing===

A ] was prepared for Abdul Rahman Ma ath Thafir Al Amri's first annual Administrative Review Board, on October 6, 2005.<ref name=Arb1SummaryOfEvidenceAbdulRahmanMaAthThafirAlAmri/>
The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

''The following primary factors favor continued detention''
{{Quotation|
:a. Commitment
:#A person who met the detainee at a guesthouse in ], Pakistan states that the detainee's job entailed being in charge of the media in Kandahar, Afghanistan. This person believes the detaiene worked for Usama Bin Laden because, if important people were around, the detainee would be with them. The same source recalls seeing the Detainee in Tora Bora during the time period that America was bombing that area.
:#The detainee stated his loyalties while in Afghanistan belonged to ], because Tabuqui was his leader at the time. The detainee claimed presently that his loyalties belong exclusively to Allah, God Almighty.

:b. Training
:#The detainee was in the Saudi Army for 6 years and received training from U.S. military personnel on the Dragon missile system shortly after ].
:#The detainee's occupation prior to going on Jihad was a soldier with the equivalent U.S. Army rank of Corporal. The detainee was a crewmember of the ], anti-tank artillery.

:c. Connections/Associations
:#The detainee's brother served in the Saudi Army for the last 20 years as an aviation supply officer.
:#A senior al Qaida commander said he saw the detainee at the Kabul, Afghanistan guesthouse in 2000. This source saw the detainee again in 2000 in the Kandahar, Afghanistan guesthouse and claimed that the detainee appeared to be a new Mujahideen member who was in Afghanistan for training.
:#The detainee had knowledge of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. prior to their execution and had limited hearsay information of a future attack on the U.S., which was planned to occur on 12 Feb 2002.
:#The detainee stated that no one knew the nature of the upcoming 9/11 attacks. The detainee heard that] had a disagreement with Usama Bin Laden regarding upcoming attacks on the U.S., but the detainee did not know the nature of the attacks.
:#The detainee encountered Usama Bin Laden on two separate occasions while in Tora Bora.

:d. Intent
:#The detainee used to be a heavy hashish and heroin user. The detainee became tired of this life and felt there was some higher purpose, so in the late 1990's {{sic}}, he quit using drugs and decided on his own to go on the ]. During the Hajj, the detainee learned that the life he led was not the correct path and he decided to turn his life around. The detainee's friends were amazed at his life change.
:#After going to the Hajj in 2000, the detainee decided to leave the Army. The detainee returned to his Muslim faith and frequented a mosque in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia where he met a scholar who advised him to go to Afghanistan.
:#The detainee initially wanted to participate in the Arab-Israeli conflict, but he was not allowed to enter the country (country not specified in document). Instead, he went to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban. The detainee fought with the Taliban for eleven months.
:#The detainee was motivated to go on Jihad by the death of a Palestinian your killed by Israeli soldiers. A Saudi Arabian national at a mosque in Tabuk recruited the detainee. The detainee stated that he joined Jihad for religious reasons, motivation by the media, Allah's promise of 72 virgins and paradise in heaven.

:e. Detainee Actions and Statements
:#The detainee traveled from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia to Jordan by taxi and remained there for two days. He continued travel to Damascus, Syria by land, and then traveled by plane to Tehran, Iran. He was instructed to cross into Afghanistan by telling the Afghani border guards that he wanted to assist the Taliban in Jihad. The detainee met with an Afghani Taliban leader who sent the detainee to a Jihad school in Kandahar, where the detainee was interrogated to ensure that he was not a spy. The detainee was then sent to the ] where he gave his passport and 7000 ]s (approximately $1900 USD) to the Amir of the guesthouse.
:#The detainee admits he carried an AK-47 while he and others were desting for Jalalabad, Afghanistan where he hoped to avoid being captured or killed.
:#The detainee stated his occupation at time of capture was a Mujahideen soldier in Afghanistan. The detainee had held this occupation for approximately 10 months.

:f. Other Relevant Data
:#The detainee attended al Mahad al Almi Institute of Science and was expelled during his third year.
:#Pakistani police captured the detainee.
:#The detainee was transferred from Kohat, Pakistan to United States custody on 31 Dec 2001.
}}

''The following primary factors favor release or transfer''
{{Quotation|
:a. When asked about the event on 11 September 2001 and the devastation that the ] caused, the detainee was very upset that so many civilians were killed. The detainee believes that as a fighter it is unfair to kill civilians. If someone came at the detainee with a weapon then he would fight but he would not kill any civilians or unarmed individuals. The detainee went to fight for Jihad because it is every good Muslim's duty.

:b. The detainee provided the interrogator with whatever information he or she asked for. The detainee has been interviewed many times and fears that everyone will think he is helping the Americans. Other detainees constantly ask detainee what is going on.

:c. The detainne never gave bayat to Usama Bin Laden explaining that he only wanted to be a fighter. By giving bayat to Usama Bin Laden, the detainee might be pulled off the front line for other duties.

:d. The detainee is very cooperative and tries to give an explanation with every answer.

:e. In response to allegations that the detainee is responsible for providing a movie detailing the USS Cole and 9/11 attacks, the detainee believes it is another individual with the same name as the detainee's who made the movies.
}}

===Second annual Administrative Review Board hearing===

A ] was prepared for his second annual Administrative Review Board.<ref name=Arb2SummaryOfEvidenceAbdulRahmanMaAthThafirAlAmri/>
The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

''The following primary factors favor continued detention''
{{Quotation|
:a. Commitment
#The detainee quit using drugs and went on the ] on his own during the late 1990s, when he learned the life he lead was not the correct path and decided to turn his life around.
#The detainee was motivated to go on ] by the death of a ] youth killed by ]i soldiers. A Saudi Arabian national at a mosque in ] recruited the detainee. The detainee stated he joined jihad for religious reasons, motivation by the media, Allah's promise of 72 virgins and paradise in heaven.
#The detainee initially wanted to participate in the Arab-Israeli conflict, but he was not allowed to enter the country. Instead, the detainee went to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban. The detainee fought with the Taliban for eleven months.
#The detainee admits he carried a ] rifle while he and many others were heading for ], Afghanist, where he hoped to avoid being captured or killed.
#The detainee stated his loyalties while in Afghanistan belonged to his ] leader at the time. The detainee claimed that presently his loyalties belong exclusively to Allah, God Almighty.

:b. Training
#The detainee attended ] in Saudi Arabia and was expelled during his third year.
#The detainee was in the Saudi army for nine years and received training from United States military personnel on the Dragon missile system shortly after Operation Desert Storm.
#The detainee's occupation prior to going on jihad was a soldier with the equivalent United States Army rank of Corporal. The detainee was a crewmember of the Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided missile anti-tank artillery.

:c. Connections/Associations
#A senior al Qaida operative said he saw the detainee at the Kabul, Afghanistan ] in 2000. This senior al Qaida operative saw the detainee again in 2000 in the ], Afghanistan ] and claimed that the detainee appeared to be a new Mujahed who was in Afghanistan for training.
#The detainee had knowledge of the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States prior to their execution and had limited hearsay information of a future attack on the United States, which was planned to occur on 12 February 2002. The detainee encountered ] on two separate occasions while in the ] region, approximately during the beginning of December 2001.
}}

''The following primary factors favor release or transfer''
{{Quotation|
:a. When asked about the events on 11 September 2001 and the devastation that the World Trade Center attacks caused, the detainee was very upset that so many civilians were killed. The detainee believes, as a fighter, it is unfair to kill civilians. If someone came at him with a weapon then the detainee would fight, but he would not kill any civilians or unarmed individuals. The detainee went to fight for jihad because it is every good Muslim's duty.

:b. The detainee never gave ] to Usama bin Laden explaining that he only wanted to be a fighter. By giving Bayat to Usama bin Laden, the detainee might be pulled off of the front line for other duties.

:c. According to a senior al Qaida detainee the oaths of allegiance, or Bayat, al Qaida member swore to Usama bin Laden are a spiritually binding commitment to obey the leader and his organization and are patterend after the oath of allegiance that early Muslims swore to Muhammad and his successors. The senior al Qaida detainee said al Qaida was the first jihadist group to use this concept as a mechanism for maintaining organizational command and control.

:d. The detainee provided the interrogator with whatever informatin he was asked for. The detainee has been interviewed many times and fears that everyone will think he is helping the Americans. Other detainees constantly ask him what is going on.

:e. On 6 April 2002, the detainee advised the interviewers to warn the guards that they should take extra precautions during the move because some of the detainees are feeling that they have nothing to lose and are waiting for a time to cry out. The detainee was aware that some other detainees felt that they would rather die than live the way they were living, and some of the detainees would not care about taking someone else with them when they die.
}}

====Transcript====
There is no record that Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir Al Amri
chose to participate in his Administrative Review Board hearing.

==Hunger striker==

The '']'' reported that Al Amri had participated in several ].<ref name=WapoHungerStriker20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100294.html?hpid=moreheadlines | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100294.html?hpid=moreheadlines
| title=Apparent Gitmo Suicide Was Saudi Veteran | title=Apparent Gitmo Suicide Was Saudi Veteran
| author=] | author=Ben Fox
| author-link=Ben Fox (writer)
| publisher=]
| newspaper=]
| date=May 31, 2007 | date=May 31, 2007
| accessdate=2007-05-31 | accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref> According to AP, Al Amri weighed 150 pounds when he was transferred to Guantanamo, and his weight dropped to 90 pounds during the 2005 hunger strike.<ref name=OfficialWeightsIsn186-251>
}}</ref>
According to AP Al Amri weighed 150 pounds when he was transferred to Guantanamo, and his weight dropped to 90 pounds during the 2005 hunger strike.<ref name=OfficialWeightsIsn186-251>
{{cite web {{cite web
| url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/measurements/ISN_186-ISN_251.pdf |url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/measurements/ISN_186-ISN_251.pdf
|format=PDF| title=Measurements of Heights and Weights of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: ISNs 186-251 |title=Measurements of Heights and Weights of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: ISNs 186-251
| publisher=] |publisher=]
| author=] |author=JTF-GTMO
|author-link=JTF-GTMO
| date=2007-03-16
|date=2007-03-16
| accessdate=2008-12-22
|accessdate=2008-12-22
| quote=
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125034041/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/measurements/ISN_186-ISN_251.pdf
}}
|archivedate=25 January 2009
</ref>
|url-status=bot: unknown
They reported that another Guantanamo captive had reported that al Amri had been participating in a hunger strike as recently as March 2007. He had been force-fed with a nasal tube.<ref>
}}
</ref> They reported that another Guantanamo captive had said that al Amri had been participating in a hunger strike as recently as March 2007. He had been force-fed with a nasal tube.<ref>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6710505.stm | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6710505.stm
Line 224: Line 100:
| date=June 1, 2007 | date=June 1, 2007
| accessdate=2007-06-01 | accessdate=2007-06-01
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070612053130/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6710505.stm| archivedate= 12 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>
}}</ref>


==Death==
==Reported to have died May 30 2007==
{{main|Guantanamo Bay detention camp suicide attempts}}

The US ] asserted that a Saudi captive had committed suicide on May 30, 2007.<ref name=TheJurist20070531> The U.S. ] asserted that a Saudi captive had committed suicide on May 30, 2007.<ref name=TheJurist20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/05/guantanamo-detainee-dead-in-suspected.php |url = http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/05/guantanamo-detainee-dead-in-suspected.php
| date=May 31, 2007 |date = May 31, 2007
| title=Guantanamo detainee dead in suspected suicide |title = Guantanamo detainee dead in suspected suicide
| publisher=] |publisher = ]
| author=] |author = Michael Sung
|author-link = Michael Sung
| accessdate=2007-05-31
|accessdate = 2007-05-31
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070602113929/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/05/guantanamo-detainee-dead-in-suspected.php
|archivedate = 2 June 2007
|url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name=APSuicide20070531> }}</ref><ref name=APSuicide20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
Line 243: Line 123:
| publisher=] | publisher=]
| accessdate=2007-05-31 | accessdate=2007-05-31
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070602132325/http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070531/D8PF8FHG0.html| archivedate= 2 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=TheWireJtfGtmo>
}}</ref><ref name=TheWireJtfGtmo>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/wire/WirePDF/issue14v8.pdf |url = http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/wire/WirePDF/issue14v8.pdf
|format=PDF| title=Detainee Death at Guantanamo Bay |title = Detainee Death at Guantanamo Bay
| publisher=] |publisher = ]
| date=June 1, 2007 |date = June 1, 2007
| accessdate=2007-09-27 |accessdate = 2007-09-27
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071203002304/http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/wire/WirePDF/issue14v8.pdf
|archivedate = 2007-12-03
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> }}</ref>
Initially the DoD withheld his identity. Initially the DOD withheld his identity until the Saudi government was notified.


Early on May 31, 2007 Saudi authorities identified the dead man as '''Abdul Rahman Maadha al-Amry'''.<ref name=SanDiegoUnionTribune20070531> Early on May 31, 2007, Saudi authorities identified the dead man as '''Abdul Rahman Maadha al-Amry'''.<ref name=SanDiegoUnionTribune20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070531-0735-guantanamo-suicide.html |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070531-0735-guantanamo-suicide.html
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104154751/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070531-0735-guantanamo-suicide.html
| title=Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide
|url-status=dead
| author=]
|archive-date=January 4, 2013
| publisher=]
|title=Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide
| date=May 31, 2007
|author=Michael Melia
| accessdate=2007-05-31
|author-link=Michael Melia
|work=]
|date=May 31, 2007
|accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref> }}</ref>


Al Amri's autopsy report stated that the "male civilian detainee" was "found hanging by his neck in his cell with a ligature made of braided strips of bed sheet. By report, similar fabric bound his hands loosely behind him."<ref name=Truthout.org>{{cite news
The ] reported, at noon May 31, 2007, that Al-Amry has been identified as one of the "high-value detainees", held in ].<ref name=Cfnews13-20070531>
| url=http://www.truth-out.org/recently-released-autopsy-reports-heighten-guantanamo-suicides-mystery/1330542864
{{cite news
| title=Recently Released Autopsy Reports Heighten Guantanamo "Suicides" Mystery
| url=http://www.cfnews13.com/News/International/2007/5/31/u.s._dead_detainee_was_of_high_value.html
| author=Jeffrey Kaye
| title=U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value
| author-link=Jeffrey Kaye
| date=May 31, 2007
| publisher=Central Florida News | publisher=]
| date=March 1, 2012
| accessdate=2007-05-31
| accessdate=2012-03-04
}}</ref><ref name=StratforSuicide20070531/>
| archive-date=2012-03-04
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304030833/http://www.truth-out.org/recently-released-autopsy-reports-heighten-guantanamo-suicides-mystery/1330542864
| url-status=dead
}}</ref>


The Associated Press reported at noon May 31, 2007, that DOD had identified Al-Amry as one of the "high-value detainees", held in ].<ref name="Cfnews13-20070531"/><ref name=StratforSuicide20070531/>
The '']'', citing sources with inside knowledge of the case, reports that the dead man was
].<ref name=MiamiHerald20070531/>
Their report identified Al Amri as one of the Guantanamo captives who was never allowed to meet with an attorney.
The report quotes Al Amri's ], where he pointed out that if he had truly been a jihadist dedicated to killing Americans he could have done so when he was receiving military training in Saudi Arabia from American advisors. The article also quoted Al Amri's denial that he had been involved in making a video about the ].


The '']'', citing sources with inside knowledge of the case, reports that the dead man was ].<ref name=MiamiHerald20070531/>
Other newspaper reports commented on the timing of the death, pointing out that it was almost a year after the three deaths of June 10, 2006, and that both incidents followed a new commandant being assigned to ], and both incidents occurred shortly before the convening of a ].<ref name=CasperStarTribune20070531>
Their report identified Al Amri as one of the Guantanamo captives who was never allowed to meet with an attorney. The report quotes Al Amri's ], where he noted that if he had truly been a ] dedicated to killing Americans, he could have done so when he was receiving military training in Saudi Arabia from American advisers. The article also quoted Al Amri's denial that he had been involved in making a video about the ], as the government had alleged.<ref name=MiamiHerald20070531/>

Other newspaper reports commented on the timing of the death, pointing out that it was almost a year after the deaths of three detainees on June 10, 2006, which DOD said were suicides. Both incidents followed a new commandant being assigned to ], and both incidents occurred shortly before the convening of a ].<ref name=CasperStarTribune20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/05/31/ap/international/d8pfdrkg0.txt |url=http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/05/31/ap/international/d8pfdrkg0.txt
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111225725/http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/05/31/ap/international/d8pfdrkg0.txt
| title=U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value
|url-status=dead
| author=]
| date=May 31, 2007 |archive-date=January 11, 2013
|title=U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value
| publisher=]
|author=Michael Melia
| accessdate=2007-05-31
|author-link=Michael Melia
|date=May 31, 2007
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref><ref name=BostonHerald20070531> }}</ref><ref name=BostonHerald20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://news.bostonherald.com/international/americas/view.bg?articleid=1004009&format=text |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/international/americas/view.bg?articleid=1004009&format=text
| publisher=] |publisher=]
| date=May 31, 2007 |date=May 31, 2007
| title=Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide |title=Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide
| accessdate=2007-05-31 |accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref><ref name=TorontoStar20070531> }}{{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name=TorontoStar20070531>
{{cite news {{cite news
| url=http://www.thestar.com/News/article/219618 | url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/05/30/gitmo_detainee_dies_of_apparent_suicide.html
| title=Guantanamo detainee dies of apparent suicide | title=Guantanamo detainee dies of apparent suicide
| publisher=] | publisher=]
| date=May 30, 2007 | date=May 30, 2007
| author=] | author=Jane Sutton
| author-link=Jane Sutton
| accessdate=2007-05-31
}}</ref><ref name=MiamiHerald20070530>
{{cite news
| url=http://www.miamiherald.com/915/story/123710.html
| title=Gitmo detainee apparently kills himself
| date=May 30, 2007
| publisher=]
| accessdate=2007-05-31 | accessdate=2007-05-31
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070602160927/http://www.thestar.com/News/article/219618| archivedate= 2 June 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=MiamiHerald20070530>{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/915/story/123710.html |title=Gitmo detainee apparently kills himself |date=May 30, 2007 |publisher=] |accessdate=2007-05-31 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> But, two of the three men who died in June 2006 had already been cleared for release or transfer to Saudi Arabia, and one was happy to be going home.<ref name="suicide">, 25 August 2008, Andy Worthington website, accessed 8 February 2013</ref> They would not have been reviewed by a military commission.

In 2017, FOIA documents on the investigation into the death of Al Amri revealed that he had been found hanging in his cell with his hands tied in a "snug" fashion behind his back. According to the clerk in charge of the computer logs that tracked detainee movements, Al Amri had been with an interrogator in the hour prior to his death. But other witnesses told NCIS the interrogation had been cancelled that morning, either by the interrogator, or by Al Amri himself. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigator that examined the death scene found it difficult to understand how this prisoner could have killed himself in the time allotted while he was under surveillance. NCIS concluded Al Amri had stood upon a folded bed mattress in order to reach the air vent to which he presumably attached the rope of his jerry-rigged noose (made from bed sheets). The air vent itself was over eight feet above the floor of the cell. Despite the fact that the detainee had not supposedly met with an attorney, documents from the NCIS investigation state there were materials of a confidential attorney-client nature in Al Amri's possession at the time of his death, and these were turned over to the Judge Advocate's Office at Guantanamo.
<ref name=Medium.com>
{{Cite news
| url=https://medium.com/@jeff_kaye/new-foia-documents-show-guantanamo-suicides-unlikely-72ff098fe745
| title=New FOIA Documents Show Guantanamo Suicides Unlikely
| author=Jeffrey Kaye
| author-link=Jeffrey Kaye
| publisher=]
| date= October 12, 2017
| accessdate=2017-11-29
}}</ref> }}</ref>


==Press reports== ==Press reports==

Department of Defense documents released in September 2007 revealed that al Amri had warned camp authorities in 2002 that conditions at the camp were driving captives to the brink of suicide.<ref name=InternationalHeraldTribune20070919> Department of Defense documents released in September 2007 revealed that al Amri had warned camp authorities in 2002 that conditions at the camp were driving captives to the brink of suicide.<ref name=InternationalHeraldTribune20070919>
{{cite news {{cite news
Line 317: Line 217:
| publisher=] | publisher=]
| date=September 19, 2007 | date=September 19, 2007
| accessessdate=2007-10-08 | accessdate=2007-10-08
}}</ref> }}</ref>


== See also == ==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
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==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
{{wikisource|Summarized Unsworn Detainee Statement (Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir Al Amri)}} {{wikisource|Summarized Unsworn Detainee Statement (Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir Al Amri)}}
* , Andy Worthington website, April 24, 2008


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Latest revision as of 16:42, 30 October 2024

Saudi Taliban militant and Guantanamo Bay detainee
Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri
Born(1973-04-17)April 17, 1973
Taif, Saudi Arabia
DiedMay 31, 2007(2007-05-31) (aged 34)
Guantanamo
Detained at Guantanamo
Other name(s) Rahman Ma'adha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari

Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir (al Umari) al Amri

Abd al Rahman Maadha Dhafir al Hilala al Umari
ISN199
StatusDied in custody

Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri (Arabic: عبدالرحمن العمري) (April 17, 1973, in Taif, Saudi Arabia — May 30, 2007) was a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention as an enemy combatant in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.

Press reports said that the DOD reported al-Amri had committed suicide on May 30, 2007. He had not been charged with any war crimes and had never met with an attorney.

Early life and education

Abdul Rahman al-Amri was born on April 17, 1973, in Taif, Saudi Arabia. He did not get any more education than middle school. He went into the Saudi Arabian Army, where he served for nine years and four months. He had trained with American advisers and was taught to use antitank weapons, artillery and light weaponry.

He went to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban.

Surrender after Tora Bora

CSRT hearing records said that he surrendered to Pakistani police in December 2001 after fighting at Tora Bora. He had admitted to carrying an AK-47 assault rifle.

After being transferred to Guantanamo in early 2002, he was never charged with crimes and never met with an attorney. DOD said that he was not given permission to meet with an attorney as he was not a party to a habeas corpus petition.

Hunger strikes

The Associated Press reported that at Guantanamo, Al Amri had participated in several hunger strikes. According to AP, Al Amri weighed 150 pounds when he was transferred to Guantanamo, and his weight dropped to 90 pounds during the 2005 hunger strike. They reported that another Guantanamo captive had said that al Amri had been participating in a hunger strike as recently as March 2007. He had been force-fed with a nasal tube.

Death

Main article: Guantanamo Bay detention camp suicide attempts

The U.S. Southern Command asserted that a Saudi captive had committed suicide on May 30, 2007. Initially the DOD withheld his identity until the Saudi government was notified.

Early on May 31, 2007, Saudi authorities identified the dead man as Abdul Rahman Maadha al-Amry.

Al Amri's autopsy report stated that the "male civilian detainee" was "found hanging by his neck in his cell with a ligature made of braided strips of bed sheet. By report, similar fabric bound his hands loosely behind him."

The Associated Press reported at noon May 31, 2007, that DOD had identified Al-Amry as one of the "high-value detainees", held in Camp 5.

The Miami Herald, citing sources with inside knowledge of the case, reports that the dead man was Abdul Rahman Ma Ath Thafir Al Amri. Their report identified Al Amri as one of the Guantanamo captives who was never allowed to meet with an attorney. The report quotes Al Amri's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, where he noted that if he had truly been a jihadist dedicated to killing Americans, he could have done so when he was receiving military training in Saudi Arabia from American advisers. The article also quoted Al Amri's denial that he had been involved in making a video about the USS Cole bombing, as the government had alleged.

Other newspaper reports commented on the timing of the death, pointing out that it was almost a year after the deaths of three detainees on June 10, 2006, which DOD said were suicides. Both incidents followed a new commandant being assigned to JTF-GTMO, and both incidents occurred shortly before the convening of a military commission. But, two of the three men who died in June 2006 had already been cleared for release or transfer to Saudi Arabia, and one was happy to be going home. They would not have been reviewed by a military commission.

In 2017, FOIA documents on the investigation into the death of Al Amri revealed that he had been found hanging in his cell with his hands tied in a "snug" fashion behind his back. According to the clerk in charge of the computer logs that tracked detainee movements, Al Amri had been with an interrogator in the hour prior to his death. But other witnesses told NCIS the interrogation had been cancelled that morning, either by the interrogator, or by Al Amri himself. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigator that examined the death scene found it difficult to understand how this prisoner could have killed himself in the time allotted while he was under surveillance. NCIS concluded Al Amri had stood upon a folded bed mattress in order to reach the air vent to which he presumably attached the rope of his jerry-rigged noose (made from bed sheets). The air vent itself was over eight feet above the floor of the cell. Despite the fact that the detainee had not supposedly met with an attorney, documents from the NCIS investigation state there were materials of a confidential attorney-client nature in Al Amri's possession at the time of his death, and these were turned over to the Judge Advocate's Office at Guantanamo.

Press reports

Department of Defense documents released in September 2007 revealed that al Amri had warned camp authorities in 2002 that conditions at the camp were driving captives to the brink of suicide.

See also

References

  1. JTF GTMO Detainee Assessment Department of Defense
  2. list of prisoners (.pdf), US Department of Defense, May 15, 2006
  3. ^ "U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value". Central Florida News. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  4. ^ "U.S.: Guantanamo Suicide Was "High-Value" Inmate". Stratfor. May 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  5. ^ Carol Rosenberg (May 31, 2007). "Dead Gitmo captive was Saudi military veteran". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  6. , The Washington Post, 31 May 2007, accessed 8 February 2013
  7. Ben Fox (May 31, 2007). "Apparent Gitmo Suicide Was Saudi Veteran". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  8. JTF-GTMO (2007-03-16). "Measurements of Heights and Weights of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: ISNs 186-251" (PDF). Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. "Guantanamo 'suicide' inmate named". BBC News. June 1, 2007. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  10. Michael Sung (May 31, 2007). "Guantanamo detainee dead in suspected suicide". The Jurist. Archived from the original on 2 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  11. "Gitmo Detainee Apparently Kills Himself". Associated Press. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on 2 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  12. "Detainee Death at Guantanamo Bay" (PDF). The Wire (JTF-GTMO). June 1, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  13. Michael Melia (May 31, 2007). "Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  14. Jeffrey Kaye (March 1, 2012). "Recently Released Autopsy Reports Heighten Guantanamo "Suicides" Mystery". Truthout.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  15. Michael Melia (May 31, 2007). "U.S.: Dead Detainee Was of High Value". Casper Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  16. "Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in apparent suicide". Boston Herald. May 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  17. Jane Sutton (May 30, 2007). "Guantanamo detainee dies of apparent suicide". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  18. "Gitmo detainee apparently kills himself". Miami Herald. May 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  19. Andy Worthington, "Guantánamo Suicide Report: Truth or Travesty?", 25 August 2008, Andy Worthington website, accessed 8 February 2013
  20. Jeffrey Kaye (October 12, 2017). "New FOIA Documents Show Guantanamo Suicides Unlikely". Medium.com. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  21. "AP NewsBreak: Saudi warned before suicide that some at Guantanamo 'would rather die'". International Herald Tribune. September 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-08.

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