Abdulla Majid Al Naimi

Abdulla Majid Al Naimi
Born	(1982-03-09) March 9, 1982 Manama, Bahrain
Occupation	Detainee
Known for	Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay

Abdulla Majid Al Naimi (also spelled as Abdullah al Noaimi; born March 9, 1982, in Manama, Bahrain) is a Bahraini citizen who was subjected to extrajudicial detention at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps located in Cuba.

Apprehension

Al Naimi recounted that in late 2001, he was seized by Pashtun tribesmen in Afghanistan and subsequently transferred to Pakistani authorities in exchange for a monetary payment. Following several transfers, including confinement at Kohat, he was taken into American custody and transported to Guantanamo Bay.

Variations in Name Usage

The spelling of Al Naimi's name varies across official DoD records:

• Listed as Abdullah al Noaimi on the DoD’s detainee roster dated May 15, 2006.
• Recorded as Abdullah Majed Sayyah Hasan Alnoaimi on the list of detainees whose habeas corpus petitions were dismissed post-release from U.S. detention.

Media outlets have also rendered his name as "Abdullah Al Nuaimi".

Combatant Status Review Process

The Bush administration initially claimed that captives held under the War on Terror were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions, a stance contested by critics who insisted on the necessity of conducting competent tribunals to establish detainee status. In response, the Department of Defense implemented Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) to determine if individuals met the criteria of "enemy combatant."

During CSRTs, detainees were denied legal representation and access to all evidence against them. The proceedings did not adhere to standard evidentiary rules, with government-provided evidence presumed “genuine and accurate.” Nonetheless, detainees could review unclassified evidence summaries and submit “reasonably available” evidence and witness testimony.

From July 2004 through March 2005, CSRTs evaluated detainee classifications; approximately one-third of detainees, including , opted not to participate. In Boumediene v. Bush, the Supreme Court ruled that CSRTs failed to provide adequate substitutes for constitutional habeas corpus protections, highlighting concerns over procedural errors and lack of authority to mandate release.

A Summary of Evidence memorandum concerning stated:

Witness Testimonies

The Department of Defense disclosed two witness statements dated November 11, 2004. One was provided by Mohammed Salman Al-Khalifa, cousin to Salman Al Khalifa from Bahrain’s royal family, indicating that Abdullah Al Noaimi had been requested to search for Salman Al Khalifa in Pakistan and Afghanistan following his disappearance in August 2001. The second statement came from Mohamad Suleiman Alkaleifa, a childhood acquaintance, who vouched for Al Naimi’s good character and absence of political involvement.

There is no indication that these witness accounts influenced the Board’s final recommendations.

Abdullah Al Noaimi v. George Walker Bush

A habeas corpus petition was submitted on behalf of Abdullah Al Noaimi. On December 9, 2004, the Department of Defense released a 24-page file derived from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT).

Administrative Review Board

Those detainees classified as "enemy combatants" through CSRT proceedings were subject to yearly Administrative Review Board hearings. These sessions evaluated the potential threat detainees might represent if released or transferred and considered factors supporting ongoing detention.

Summary of Evidence memo

On July 1, 2005, a Summary of Evidence memo was compiled for Abdullah Al Noaimi's Administrative Review Board. This document outlined both the reasons supporting and opposing the continuation of his detention. There is no indication that Al Noaimi took part in his Board hearing.

Board recommendations

In early September 2007, the Department of Defense disclosed two extensively redacted memos from his Board addressed to Gordon J. England, the Designated Civilian Official. Although the Board's recommendation was unanimous, its details remain classified. England approved his transfer on October 4, 2005.

Release

Al-Naimi, represented by attorney Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, was among three Bahraini detainees released and returned to Bahrain in November 2005.

Bahraini Member of Parliament Mohammed Khalid urged the government to offer financial restitution to those detainees who were freed.

Comments on the June 10, 2006 suicides

Following the announcement of three detainee deaths on June 10, 2006, Al Naimi, who was acquainted with the deceased, shared his thoughts on June 25, 2006. He explained that Mani Al-Utaybi and Ali Abdullah Ahmed had been apprehended while studying in Pakistan and underwent only brief interrogations upon arrival at Guantanamo. Their interrogators informed them they posed no threat and might be released.

The interrogations occurred solely during the initial month of their detention. For more than a year prior to my departure from Guantanamo in November 2005, they were left alone but continued to endure harsh conditions imposed by the guards.

Al Naimi further highlighted that Yasser Talal Al Zahrani was just 16 years old when captured and should have been treated as a juvenile.

At the time of his death he was 21, but having been detained at only 16 nearly four and a half years earlier, he ought to have been transferred to juvenile authorities rather than handled as an adult detainee.

Saudi arrest

According to the Gulf Daily News, Al Naimi was detained in Saudi Arabia in late October 2008. Bahraini MP Mohammed Khalid voiced concern regarding the detention of a third Bahraini citizen by Saudi officials without any formal explanation provided.

In November 2008, another Bahraini held extrajudicially in Saudi Arabia, Khalil Janahi, was reportedly repatriated. Mohammed Janahi regarded this development as a positive sign for Al Naimi and two other Bahrainis—Abdulraheem Al Murbati and Hassan Al Yabis—who remained detained without charges in Saudi Arabia. As of April 2009, Al Naimi and these individuals were still in custody.

Ultimately, Al Noaimi was released without any charges and returned to Bahrain on April 21, 2016.

Pentagon claim he had "returned to the fight"

A 2009 article in the New York Times reported that a Pentagon document "confirmed" Al Noaimi had resumed terrorist activities following his release from Guantanamo Bay in 2005. Subsequently, officials reevaluated their interpretation of this information.