Yussef al-Shihri
Yussef Mohammed Mubarak al-Shihri | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 September 1985 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 18 October 2009 (aged 24) |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Detention at Guantanamo Bay; inclusion on Saudi most wanted list |
Yussef Mohammed Mubarak al-Shihri (1985–2009) was a Saudi national detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. He was born on September 8, 1985, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
At the age of sixteen, he and his older cousin were captured alongside approximately 120 soldiers near Kunduz. They were held for six weeks in Shiberghan prison before being transferred to Guantanamo on January 16, 2002. On June 15, 2005, human rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith identified al-Shihri as one of about twelve teenage detainees confined within the adult section of the prison. Due to protections afforded to minors, official U.S. documents referred to him only by his initials ("YAS").
An article published in October 2009 by the Saudi Gazette indicated that his elder brother, Saad Muhammad Al-Shehri, had taken him to Afghanistan after he finished intermediate school. Following his return to Saudi Arabia, Yussef participated in the Saudi militant rehabilitation program. As of February 3, 2009, he appeared on the Saudi list of most wanted terrorist suspects. He died during a firefight with Saudi law enforcement on October 18, 2009, reportedly while preparing for a suicide bombing and wearing an explosive belt.
Combatant Status Review
A Summary of Evidence memorandum prepared for the tribunal detailed the accusations that led to his detention:[1]
Administrative Review Board
Individuals designated as "enemy combatants" by the Combatant Status Review Tribunal were subject to yearly Administrative Review Board hearings. These reviews evaluated whether detainees continued to pose a threat if released or transferred and considered reasons for ongoing detention.[2]
Second annual Administrative Review Board
On October 12, 2006, a Summary of Evidence document was prepared for Yusef M Modaray’s second annual Administrative Review Board hearing.[3] This memorandum outlined both reasons supporting and opposing his continued detention.
Repatriation
On November 25, 2008, the Department of Defense published a document outlining the dates when detainees were transferred out of Guantanamo. This record indicates that he was returned to Saudi custody on November 9, 2007, alongside thirteen other individuals. The annual Administrative Review Board documents for the detainees reveal that his transfer was not a result of formal internal review processes. Additionally, these files confirm that no detention review took place for him in 2007.
At least ten others within this group were similarly repatriated without undergoing formal review procedures.
Peter Taylor from BBC News referred to the group of Saudis sent back on November 9, 2007, including al-Shihri, as "batch 10". His investigation highlighted concerns regarding this cohort, noting that four members appeared on Saudi Arabia’s most wanted list.
Allegations of familial ties to other suspected militants
Following the emergence of videos featuring former Saudi detainee Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri issuing attack threats, the Saudi Gazette reported that he was the brother-in-law of Yusuf al-Shihri, another ex-Guantanamo detainee. Said Ali Al Shihri married Yusuf Al Shihri’s sister after their release. In a custody dispute, her first husband accused her of being a takfiri, and claimed her second spouse—allegedly involved in militancy—was killed during a 2004 confrontation with security forces.
During Yusuf Mohammed Mubarak al-Shihri’s Combatant Status Review Tribunal, it was noted he had been captured alongside his cousin in Kunduz, Afghanistan. After his death, the Saudi Gazette reported that two of his brothers, Faisal and Mustafa, as well as cousin Abdul Ghani Al-Shehri, were detained at Hai’er Prison on terrorism-related charges.
Inclusion on Saudi Arabia's most wanted list
Yusuf al-Shihri, his brother-in-law Said al-Shihri, and their sixteen-year-old cousin Abdullah al-Shihri were named on a Saudi most wanted list released on February 3, 2009.
Notification of Fahd Al Jutayli’s death
The Yemen Post reported on September 27 that Othman Al-Ghamedi and Yousuf al-Shahri informed their families about the demise of Fahd Saleh Sulaiman Al-Jatili during a military operation conducted by Yemeni security forces.
Death
Al Shihri, along with Raed al-Harbi and another individual, were killed while attempting to cross the border from Yemen into Saudi Arabia. According to the Associated Press, the men were equipped with suicide vests, and both Al Shihri and al-Harbi were disguised in women’s attire. They resisted arrest, resulting in one Saudi soldier killed and another injured. The third man, who was not disguised, survived; his subsequent interrogation led to the apprehension of six Yemeni collaborators.
In March 2010, Saudi security authorities announced the detention of 113 suspects, with 101 arrests connected to intelligence gathered from questioning al-Shihri’s surviving companion.
See also
References
- ↑ OARDEC (25 September 2004). "Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal - Al Shihri, Yussef Mohammed Mubarak" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. 27–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ↑ "Annual Administrative Review Boards for Enemy Combatants Held at Guantanamo Attributable to Senior Defense Officials". March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ↑ OARDEC (12 October 2006). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Modaray, Yusef M" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. 86–88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-23.