Omar Said Salim Al Dayi
Omar Said Salim Al Dayi | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Omar Said Salem Adayn, Omer Saeed Salem Al Daini, Abdul Rahman |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay detention camps without formal charges |
Omar Said Salim Al Dayi, also referred to as Omar Said Salem Adayn and Omer Saeed Salem Al Daini, was detained without formal charges at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps located in Cuba. His assigned Guantanamo Internee Security Number was 549.
He was transferred to Guantanamo on June 18, 2002. The Guantanamo Review Task Force approved his release in January 2010. On January 13, 2016, he was relocated to Oman, alongside nine other detainees from Yemen.
Variations in Identification
Throughout official Department of Defense documentation, Al Dayi’s name appeared inconsistently:
- Listed as Omar Said Salim Al Dayi in the Summary of Evidence documents for his Combatant Status Review Tribunal (dated October 13, 2004) and Administrative Review Board (November 7, 2005).
- Recorded as Abdul Rahman on the second official detainee list published May 15, 2006.
- Appearing as Omar Said Salem Adayn within the Summary of Evidence memo for his second annual Administrative Review Board (July 5, 2006).
- Identified as Omer Saeed Salem Al Daini in a habeas corpus petition titled Omer Saeed Salem Al Daini v. George W. Bush -- 05-0634.
These discrepancies highlight difficulties in maintaining consistent detainee identification across official records during his confinement.
Review of Official Status
At the outset, the Bush Administration maintained that individuals captured during the war on terror were not protected under the Geneva Conventions, permitting indefinite detention without formal charges or transparent procedures. In 2004, however, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rasul v. Bush that detainees at Guantanamo must be informed of accusations against them and granted opportunities to challenge their detention.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the United States Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants (OARDEC) to oversee administrative status reviews.
In December 2008, researchers at the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, classified detainees based on allegations presented by the military:
- Omar Said Salim Al Dayi was accused of being affiliated with Al Qaeda, residing in Al Qaeda or Taliban safehouses, participating at Tora Bora, having aliases discovered during Al Qaeda raids, and being identified as a foreign combatant.
- He was among a group of 82 detainees who either did not provide statements or whose statements failed to substantially address the military’s allegations.
Records do not indicate that al Dayi participated in any OARDEC hearings.
On January 9, 2009, the Department of Defense released heavily redacted documents from his third annual Administrative Review Board (ARB) session held on August 7, 2007. The detainee was not present; his Assisting Military Officer described him as "uncooperative or unresponsive." The OARDEC director recommended continued detention on October 12, 2007. Although defense counsel submitted documents for consideration by the board, these materials were not made public.
habeas corpus
A writ of habeas corpus, specifically in the case of Omer Saeed Salem Al Daini v. George W. Bush -- 05-0634, was submitted on his behalf. In September 2007, the Department of Defense disclosed Combatant Status Review Tribunal files for 179 detainees; however, his file was not among those released. Legal representation was provided by C. Rufus Pennington III.
Previously undisclosed Joint Task Force Guantanamo evaluation
On April 25, 2011, WikiLeaks made public confidential evaluations prepared by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. One such document, a ten-page report dated June 20, 2008, and signed by camp commander rear admiral David M. Thomas, recommended that his detention be maintained.