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U.S. NEWS Thursday 23 May 2019

'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh to be released

By MATTHEW BARAKAT to kill Spann and providing that Lindh "continued to charges. The rationale was
Associated Press support to terrorists. Eventu- advocate for global jihad to keep those inmates from
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — ally, he struck a plea bar- and to write and translate radicalizing others in the
John Walker Lindh, the gain in which he admitted violent extremist texts." general prison population,
young Californian who be- illegally providing support A former inmate who knew Jensen said. Those inside
came known as the Ameri- to the Taliban but denied a Lindh from the time they the unit were supposed to
can Taliban after he was role in Spann's death. spent at the same federal be limited in their ability to
captured by U.S. forces in Lindh received a 20-year prison said he never heard communicate with each
the invasion of Afghanistan prison sentence. He served Lindh espouse support for other.
in late 2001, is set to go free roughly 17 years and five al-Qaida or indicate a risk "But the reality is these guys
after nearly two decades in months, including two for violence, but he found still talk to each other," he
prison. months when he was in Lindh to be anti-social and said.
But conditions imposed re- military detention. Federal awkward around others, Lindh, for his part, admitted
cently on Lindh's release, inmates who exhibit good with an unyielding, black- his role and his wrongdoing
slated for Thursday, make behavior typically serve 85 and-white view of religion. in supporting the Taliban, This January 2002 photo pro-
vided by the Alexandria Sher-
clear that authorities re- percent of their sentence. The inmate spoke to The but he and his family have iff's Office in Alexandria, Va.
main concerned about the His probation officer asked Associated Press on condi- bristled at any notion that shows John Walker Lindh.
threat he could pose once the court to impose addi- tion of anonymity because he should be considered a Associated Press
free. tional restrictions on Lindh he wanted to avoid further terrorist. When he was sen-
Lindh, now 38, converted while he remains on super- stigmatization from his time tenced, Lindh said he never himself, he said, he's also
to Islam as a teenager after vised release for the next in Lindh's prison unit. would have joined the Tal- compelled under his reli-
seeing the film "Malcolm X" three years. Lindh initially Michael Jensen, a terrorism iban if he fully understood gion to fight the rules requir-
and went overseas to study opposed but eventually researcher at the Univer- what they were about. He ing him to sin.
Arabic and the Quran. In acquiesced to the restric- sity of Maryland's National also issued a short essay Some have criticized Lindh's
November 2000, he went tions, which include moni- Consortium for the Study of condemning acts of vio- pending release. In March,
to Pakistan and from there toring software on his inter- Terrorism and Responses to lence in the name of Islam the legislature in Alabama,
made his way to Afghani- net devices; requiring that Terrorism, said it's clear the that kill or harm innocent where Spann grew up, ad-
stan. He joined the Taliban his online communications government has concerns civilians. opted a resolution calling it
and was with them on be conducted in English about Lindh's mindset. Lindh's time in prison has "an insult" to Spann's "heroic
Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qa- and that he undergo men- "For three years he's go- provided only a few clues legacy and his remaining
ida terrorists attacked the tal health counseling; and ing to be watched like a about his current outlook. family members."
World Trade Center and forbidding him from pos- hawk," Jensen said. He filed multiple lawsuits, In addition, Republican Al-
the Pentagon. sessing or viewing extremist He said Lindh represents an which were largely suc- abama Sen. Richard Shel-
The U.S. attacked Afghani- material, holding a pass- interesting test case, as he is cessful, challenging prison by and Democratic New
stan after the country failed port of any kind or leaving on the leading edge of doz- rules he found discrimina- Hampshire Sen. Maggie
to turn over al-Qaida lead- the U.S. ens of inmates who were tory against Muslims. In Hassan wrote a letter last
er Osama bin Laden. Lindh Authorities never specified convicted on terror-related the more recent lawsuits, week to the Bureau of Pris-
was captured in a battle their rationale for seeking offenses in the aftermath he used the name Yahya ons expressing concern.
with Northern Alliance such restrictions. A hearing of Sept. 11 and are eligible Lindh. One lawsuit won the "We must consider the se-
fighters in late 2001. He was on the issue was canceled for release in the next five right to pray in groups at the curity and safety implica-
present when a group of after Lindh agreed to them. years. He said there's little prison in Terre Haute. A sec- tions for our citizens and
Taliban prisoners launched The Bureau of Prisons said research to indicate the ond lawsuit reversed a pol- communities who will re-
an attack that killed John- Lindh rejected an interview efficacy of de-radicalizing icy requiring strip searches ceive individuals like John
ny Micheal "Mike" Spann, a request submitted by The inmates with connections for inmates receiving visi- Walker Lindh who continue
CIA officer who had been Associated Press, and his to radical Islam, but he said tors, and a third won the to openly call for extremist
interrogating Lindh and lawyer declined to com- the research shows that right to wear prison pants violence," they wrote.
other Taliban prisoners. ment. But there have been recidivism rates for those above the ankle, which On Monday, Spann's father,
Television footage of a reports that Lindh's behav- connected to white su- Lindh said is in accordance Johnny Spann, wrote a let-
bearded, wounded Lindh ior in prison has created premacy and other forms with Islamic principles. ter requesting that Lindh be
captured among Taliban cause for concern. Foreign of extremism are high. In the strip-search lawsuit, investigated before he's re-
fighters created an inter- Policy magazine reported Lindh has been housed in Lindh offered a discussion leased, citing the National
national sensation, and he in 2017 that an investiga- Terre Haute, Indiana, with of Islamic rules prohibiting Counterterrorism Center's
was brought to the U.S. to tion by the National Coun- other Muslim inmates con- exposure of the body. If investigation as his ratio-
face charges of conspiring terterrorism Center found victed on terror-related he's compelled to reveal nale for concern.q