Khalid Sulayman Jaydh Al Hubayshi

Khalid Sulaymanjaydh Al Hubayshi
Born	1975 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Occupation(s)	Former detainee, utilities company controller
Known for	Detention at Guantanamo Bay; participation in Saudi jihadist rehabilitation program

Khalid Sulaymanjaydh Al Hubayshi (born 1975) is a Saudi national who was detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. Al Hubayshi, who admitted to some involvement in jihadist activities, spent three years at Guantanamo followed by additional incarceration in Saudi Arabia’s al-Ha'ir Prison before successfully completing the Saudi government’s jihadist rehabilitation program. Multiple Western reporters have interviewed him and observed his apparent smooth transition back into mainstream society within Saudi Arabia.

Background

He was assigned the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 155. Analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo estimate his birth year as 1975 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On July 19, 2006, he was repatriated from Guantanamo along with two other Saudi nationals. According to Human Rights Watch, he was initially detained without formal charges at Riyadh’s al-Ha'ir prison before entering the Saudi rehabilitation initiative for jihadists, which the Christian Science Monitor described as effective.

Al Hubayshi has acknowledged that exposure to graphic propaganda videos showing Bosnian Muslim civilian casualties during his student years motivated his commitment to militant jihadism. He subsequently traveled to fight in Chechnya and later Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Christian Science Monitor reported that throughout these jihadi endeavors, he felt confined in a lifestyle he did not fully embrace and found himself unable to break free due to previous breaches of Saudi law.

In an interview with The Washington Post, he expressed resentment toward Osama bin Laden, accusing him of abandoning devoted followers by fleeing to Pakistan. He also criticized al Qaeda’s attacks targeting civilians. Following his release, it was reported that he took up a role as a controller at a utilities company in Saudi Arabia.

Official status reviews

The Bush Administration initially maintained that detainees held in the "war on terror" were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions and could be detained indefinitely without charges or transparent review processes. However, in 2004, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rasul v. Bush that detainees at Guantanamo must be informed of the accusations against them and given an opportunity to contest their detention.

Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants

Following this decision, the United States Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants. A Combatant Status Review Tribunal was held in 2004; however, annual Administrative Review Board hearings intended to reassess detainee status did not consistently take place.

Formerly secret Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessment

On April 25, 2011, WikiLeaks released classified evaluations prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo analysts. One such three-page document dated January 31, 2004, signed by camp commander Geoffrey D. Miller, recommended continued detention.

Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, noted that this file describes training received at a camp in the Philippines under Umar Al-Farouq in 1996. It details how Al Hubayshi and his twin brother traveled to Pakistan in 1997 under Umar al Faruq’s direction, made contact with Abu Zubaydah, and attended the Khaldan training camp. The record also mentions a six-month imprisonment in Pakistan during 2007 and use of a fraudulent passport to enter Yemen and subsequently Saudi Arabia.

Between 1997 and mid-2001, he was employed by the Saudi electric power authority before returning to Afghanistan for additional training at the Derunta training camp located in Nangarhar. He was apprehended near the Pakistan border on December 14, 2002.

The document further emphasizes U.S. intelligence concerns regarding three brothers based on "sensitive reporting," including allegations against his twin brother involving a plot targeting U.S. interests in Uzbekistan. Two older siblings had traveled to the United States; one had undertaken flight training. Moreover, he was suspected of connections with Khalid lbn Mohammed al-Jihani, who was implicated in a 2003 suicide bombing plot in Riyadh.

Repatriation

On July 20, 2005, Khalid was returned to Saudi Arabia together with two other detainees, Salih al-Awshan and Mishal Awad Sayaf Alhabri. As of May 26, 2006, all three individuals continued to be held without formal charges at al-Ha'ir prison in Riyadh.

After his repatriation, Khalid became a notable participant in the Saudi government's rehabilitation initiative aimed at former militants. He received backing from Prince Muhammad, who promised assistance with reintegration through marriage arrangements and employment opportunities. Having completed the program, Khalid found work at a utilities firm within Saudi Arabia. He attributed his departure from extremist beliefs to the program’s comprehensive approach combining forgiveness, religious reeducation, psychological support, and financial aid.

During this period, Al Hubayshi engaged in several meetings with the Saudi Minister of Interior Affairs, who encouraged him to embrace the opportunity for a fresh start despite previous errors rooted in misguided fanaticism. These interactions illustrate the program’s emphasis on reintegration as a preferred alternative to ongoing detention.

On November 20, 2008, following Barack Obama’s election as U.S. president, Al Hubayshi addressed Ayman Al Zawahiri’s racially charged criticism of Obama. He interpreted Zawahiri’s comments as a reaction to the historic nature of Obama’s win and the optimism among Muslims for enhanced relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world. This perspective highlights Al Hubayshi’s continued involvement in political discussions after his rehabilitation.

Khalid Al Hubayshi's Washington Post profile

Khalid Al Hubayshi was profiled in a Washington Post article dated March 24, 2008. He recounted his military training in Afghanistan, participation within a jihadist network, and his role in preparing fighters destined for Chechnya. Although Osama bin Laden attempted to recruit him into al-Qaeda, Al Hubayshi refused due to longstanding doubts about the organization.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent U.S. military response in Afghanistan, he observed that local Afghans blamed Arabs for provoking the reprisals. He escaped from Jalalabad and sought refuge in the Tora Bora area. Al Hubayshi criticized bin Laden’s abrupt withdrawal from Tora Bora as an act of betrayal and condemned the 9/11 attacks for targeting innocent civilians.

He is acknowledged as a former detainee of Guantanamo Bay who has since successfully reintegrated into Saudi society.

See also

• Care Rehabilitation Center

External links

• The Insignificance and Insanity of Abu Zubaydah: Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Confirms FBI’s Doubts Andy Worthington