John Walker Lindh
John Walker Lindh (born
February 9,
1981) is an
American citizen of European heritage who was captured in
Afghanistan during
Operation Enduring Freedom while fighting for the
Taliban. His capture made worldwide headlines, and the media dubbed him the "American Taliban."
Walker prefers to go by the name "
John Walker" today, although during his time in
Muslim areas, he also went by
Suleyman al-Faris. He is named for
John Lennon, whom his parents liked a great deal.
Walker was born in
Washington, DC to parents Marilyn Walker and Frank Lindh. He was baptized
Catholic and grew up in
Silver Spring, Maryland, until he was ten
years old and his family moved to
San Anselmo, California in
Marin County. In
1997, at age 16, Walker converted to
Islam. In
1998, he traveled to
Yemen for about ten
months, to learn
Arabic so that he would be able to read the
Qur'an in its original language. He returned to the United States in
1999, living with his family for about eight months before returning to
Yemen in February
2000, whence he left for
Pakistan to study at an austere
madrassa (Islamic school). He is believed to have entered
Afghanistan in the
spring of
2001.
Walker was first captured on
November 25,
2001, by
Northern Alliance forces and questioned by
CIA agent
Mike Spann and another agent at a prison near
Mazar-e Sharif. Later that day, the prison was the scene of a violent uprising, in which Spann was killed along with hundreds of Taliban fighters. Walker took refuge in a basement bunker after taking a bullet in the upper-right thigh, hiding with other Taliban members. He was found seven days later on
December 2,
2001, when Northern Alliance forces diverted an irrigation stream, flushing out Walker and the other survivors. Walker initially gave his name as "Abdul Hamid" but later gave his real name.
Upon capture, Walker signed confession documents while he was held by the
United States Marine Corps on
USS Peleliu and informed his interrogators that he was not merely
Taliban but
al Qaeda.
John Ashcroft, on
January 16,
2002, announced that Lindh would be tried in the US. (In contrast at least one non-white American Taliban fighter have been held in incommunicado detention or
interned in a US military brig as an enemy combatant by presidential ordere instead of being tried, in a similar way to
Jose Padilla) He was then flown to the
United States on
January 23,
2002.\nHis defense attorney claimed to the press that he asked for a lawyer repeatedly before being interviewed but he didn't get one, and that "highly coercive" prison conditions forced Walker to waive his right to remain silent. Although the
FBI asked
Jesselyn Radack, a Justice Department ethics advisor, whether Lindh could be questioned without a lawyer present, her advice that this should not be done was not followed. (
class="external">[1).
On
February 5,
2002, Walker was indicted by a federal
grand jury on ten charges, including conspiring to support
terrorist organizations and conspiring to murder Americans. The charges carry three life terms and 90 additional years in prison. On
February 13,
2002, he pleaded "not guilty" to all ten charges.
Complicating the prosectution was the nature of the confession. Photos emerged from Lindh's captivity of him being held naked and trussed up like a trophy deer wearing an obsenity-covered blindfold. When details of the conditions of his captivity began to emerge, it was discovered that he had initially been wounded and hid for a week with limited food, water, and minimal sleep in conditions of freezing water before being captured. After being captured and taken to a room with the only window blocked off, Lindh had his clothes cut off him and was duct taped to a stretcher and placed in a metal shipping container for transportation. When interrogated, he was denied a lawyer despite several requests, and was threatened with denial of medical aid if he didn't cooperate. What initially looked like an open and shut case began to look like the key piece of evidence - Lindh's confession - may have had to be thrown away due to being forced under duress.
On
July 15,
2002, Walker pled guilty to two charges — serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons. The judge asked Walker to say, in his own words, what he was admitting to. "I plead guilty," he said. "I provided my services as a soldier to the Taliban last year from about August to December. In the course of doing so, I carried a rifle and two grenades. I did so knowingly and willingly knowing that it was illegal."
In exchange, the U.S. government agreed to drop all other charges. Lindh received a 20-year sentence without
parole,
October 4,
2002. Judge T.S. Ellis formally imposed the sentence. For his part, Walker dropped claims that he had been mistreated or tortured by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and aboard two military ships during December 2001 and January 2002.
Walker's attorney, James Brosnahan, said Walker would be eligible for release in 17 years, with good behavior. This is because, although there is no
parole under federal law, Lindh's sentence could be reduced by 15 percent, or three years, for good behavior. In addition, Walker agreed to cooperate "fully, truthfully and completely" with both
military intelligence and
law enforcement agencies in the terrorism investigation, and any profits Walker might make from telling his story will be taken by the government.
Since
January 2003, Lindh has been at a medium-security prison in
Victorville, northeast of
Los Angeles. On
March 3,
2003, Lindh was tackled by inmate Richard Dale Morrison who hit him while screaming obscenities before running off. Lindh suffered a bruised forehead. On
July 2,
2003, Morrison was charged with a misdemeanor count of assault.
External link
\n*The Lindh indictment