John Walker Lindh, the captured Islamic militant who at age 20 journeyed to Afghanistan to join the Taliban and fought alongside the terrorists in the days after 9/11, was released from a U.S. federal prison in Indiana on Thursday — despite lawmakers’ concerns about the “security and safety implications” of freeing an unrepentant terrorist who officials say continues to “openly call for extremist violence.”
Lindh, dubbed the “American Taliban,” had been serving his sentence at the Terre Haute, Indiana facility. He was discharged several years before completing the 20-year prison sentence he received for joining and supporting the Taliban, with officials citing “good behavior” for the early release. The former Islamist fighter and enemy combatant, named “Detainee 001 in the war on terror,” was captured alongside a group of Taliban fighters in 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks and the start of the war in Afghanistan.
‘Moderate’ AG’s office turned to groups that spent years suing prisons for recruiting help: emails reveal
A Symbolic Detail Hidden in Background of Netflix’s New ‘Narnia’ Trailer Has Fans Fearing the Worst
Alito Shuts Down Retirement Talks as Midterms Threaten GOP Path to Confirm Successor
Pope Leo XIV leaves hospital and returns to Vatican after lung cancer surgery
From handyman to House history: HVAC mogul Joe Strada pushes trade schools, business mindset in Florida race
They’ll Never Learn: As Crime Sprees Plague Seattle, It’s Socialist Mayor Introduces Soft-on-Crime ‘Connection Court’
Ilhan Omar should be jailed, deported if citizenship fraud proven, Top House Republican says
They May Come to Your State Too: Flood of West Nile Fever Cases Hits LA Thanks to Mosquito Swarms
When purity politics runs its course: Even the most strident DSA politicians must learn to compromise
Your bumper sticker could help Flock cameras track where you go — new bill aims to stop it
Detective suspected in girl’s murder may have killed others, former investigator fears
Serial killer’s ex-wife slept beside murderer for 8 years, never suspected his deadly double life
Ilhan Omar’s turbulent week explained: The dueling probes that threw the Somali-born progressive into chaos
Income inequality at Obama Foundation, as brass thrives and rank and file seeks union
Pentagon Sends 600 Soldiers Into Latin America as Trump Turns Up Heat on Cartels
“We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh, who continue to openly call for extremist violence,” Sens. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., wrote in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons late last week that was obtained by the Washington Post.
In the letter, the lawmakers reportedly sought details on how the agency is working to prevent prisoners such as Lindh from committing additional crimes after their release. They also asked which other “terrorist offenders” are next in line to be freed and how the Federal Bureau of Prisons determines whether or not someone is an “ongoing public threat.”
‘Moderate’ AG’s office turned to groups that spent years suing prisons for recruiting help: emails reveal
A Symbolic Detail Hidden in Background of Netflix’s New ‘Narnia’ Trailer Has Fans Fearing the Worst
Alito Shuts Down Retirement Talks as Midterms Threaten GOP Path to Confirm Successor
Pope Leo XIV leaves hospital and returns to Vatican after lung cancer surgery
From handyman to House history: HVAC mogul Joe Strada pushes trade schools, business mindset in Florida race
They’ll Never Learn: As Crime Sprees Plague Seattle, It’s Socialist Mayor Introduces Soft-on-Crime ‘Connection Court’
Ilhan Omar should be jailed, deported if citizenship fraud proven, Top House Republican says
They May Come to Your State Too: Flood of West Nile Fever Cases Hits LA Thanks to Mosquito Swarms
When purity politics runs its course: Even the most strident DSA politicians must learn to compromise
Your bumper sticker could help Flock cameras track where you go — new bill aims to stop it
Detective suspected in girl’s murder may have killed others, former investigator fears
Serial killer’s ex-wife slept beside murderer for 8 years, never suspected his deadly double life
Ilhan Omar’s turbulent week explained: The dueling probes that threw the Somali-born progressive into chaos
Income inequality at Obama Foundation, as brass thrives and rank and file seeks union
Pentagon Sends 600 Soldiers Into Latin America as Trump Turns Up Heat on Cartels
Lindh has been blamed for playing a role in the death of Johnny “Mike” Spann, a U.S Marine turned CIA paramilitary operative who became the first American to be killed in combat in Afghanistan, amid the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Spann’s daughter, Allison, told Fox News in March that Lindh’s early release “feels like such a slap in the face.”
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
Story cited here.
