Senators have told the head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to explain why ‘American Taliban’ fighter John Walker Lindh is to be released this week two-and-a-half years before the end of his sentence.
Richard Shelby of Alabama, a Republican, and his Democratic colleague, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, expressed their concern that Lindh, now 38, was being freed despite indication he had not renounced his radical Islamist beliefs. In addition, “as many as 108 other terrorist offenders,” they said, are due to be released in the coming years.
Shelby is close to the family of CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann, who was killed in 2001 by Lindh’s fellow Taliban prisoners moments after Spann had questioned him.
Lindh traveled to Afghanistan in early 2001 to join the Taliban. He trained at the al-Farouq al Qaeda training camp and even met Osama bin Laden, who allegedly thanked him for his commitment to jihad. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he was captured by U.S.-backed Northern Alliance forces in November 2001.
He was brought to the fortress of Qala-i-Jangi, where he refused to provide any answers under questioning by Spann, who was killed in an uprising by hundreds of captured Taliban fighters. Lindh pleaded guilty to serving as a soldier of the Taliban in 2002 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison — but is scheduled to be released this week after 17-and-a-half years behind bars.
The senators said Lindh remains a danger to society and was among a number of prisoners who “continue to openly call for extremist violence.” This was a reference to two government assessments of Lindh leaked in 2017 that painted a picture of an unrepentant extremist who remained radicalized behind bars. The documents stated that Lindh “made pro-[Islamic State] statements” and “has continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.” Despite this, Lindh will be a free man on Thursday.
Shelby and Hassan said they had been kept in the dark about “who, when, and where these offenders will be released,” adding that “federal agencies lack a coordinated and uniform assessment tool to judge whether a terrorist is likely to pose a public threat upon release.”
They added: “Mr. Lindh is not the only convicted ISIS, al-Qaeda, or Taliban-related terrorist who may soon exit federal custody,” Shelby and Hassan said. “Our highest priority is keeping America safe, secure, and free.”
