S E C R E T // NOFORNI I 20320524 DEPARTMENTOF DEFENSE HEADQUARTERS,JOINT TASK FORCE GUANTANAMO U.S.NAVAL STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA APOAE 09360 JTF-GTMO-CDR 24 May 2007 MEMORANDUM FOR Commander,United StatesSouthem Command, 3511 NW 9lst Avenue, Miami,FL33172 SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN US9SA-000049DP(S) JTF-GTMO DetaineeAssessment 1. (S//NF) Personal Information: o JDIMSAIDRC ReferenceName: Asim M Al Aasmi o Aliases and Current/True Name: Walid Ibrahim Mustafa Abu Hijazi. Assem Matruq Mohammad al-Aasmi. Abdul Rahman al-Aasmi.Asim al-Otaibi.Asim al-Uzbaki.Ali Matruq al- Ousimi o Placeof Birth: Maan Villase. Khan Younis. Israel(IS) o Date of Birth: 18 February1980 o Citizenship: Palestinian o InternmentSerial Number (ISN): US9SA-000049DP 2. (U//T'OUO) Health: Detaineeis on a list of high risk detaineesfrom a healthperspective. Detaineesuffers from BorderlinePersonality Disorder, with a long history of manipulative behavior with multiple suicidal threatsand gesturesand hospital admissions. Detaineerequires daily contact from the Behavior Health Unit (BHU) to avoid fuither suicidal gestures. 3. (U) JTF-GTMO Assessment: z. (S) Recommendation: JTF-GTMO recommendsthis detaineefor TransferOut of DoD Control (TRO). JTF-GTMO previouslyassessed detainee as ContinuedDetention Under DoD Control (CD) with Transfer Languageon 2 June 2006. b. (S//NF) Executive Summary: Detaineeis assessedto be an Islamic extremistwho was recruited to travel to Afghanistan for jihad. He admitted receiving militant training at al- CLASSIFIEDBY: MULTIPLESOURCES REASON:E.O. 12958, AS AMENDED, SECTION 1.4(C) DECLASSIFYON: 20320524 S E C R E T // NOF'ORNI I 20320524 S E C R E T // NOFORN I I 20320524 JTF.GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN US9SA-000049DP(S) Qaida'sal-Faruq Training Camp and residedin al-Qaidaassociated guesthouses. JTF-GTMO determinedthis detaineeto be: o A MEDIUM risk, as he may posea threatto the US, its interestsand allies o A MEDIUM threat from a detentionperspective o Of MEDIUM intelligencevalue c. (S//NF) Summary of Changes: The following outlineschanges to detainee's assessmentsince the last JTF-GTMO recommendation.(Changes in this assessmentwill be annotatedby F next to the footnote.) . Added detainee'sclaim that the two individuals that traveled with him from Yemen to Afghanistan are JTF-GTMO detainees,with a tentative identification for one of them . Added detainee'sclaim that he startedusing the kunya (alias) "Abu Asim" when he departedMecca, SaudiArabia (SA) o Added aliasfound associatedwith the nameon detainee'sfalse passport 4. (U) Detainee'sAccount of Events: The following section is based,unless otherwise indicated, on detainee'sown account. These statementsare included without consideration of veracity, accuracy, or reliability. a. (S//NF) Prior History: Detaineeattended a schooloperated by the United Nations.r His father removed him from the school to assistwith the carpentrybusiness.2 Detainee later worked in his father's businessand at a restaurant,but his jobs lastedno more than six months each.3 His employer at the restaurantgave him 350 Jordaniandinars (approximately $493 US) to travel to Mecca, SaudiArabia (SA), for the umrah (minor pilgrimage).4In summer2001,s detainee and approximately70 peoplemade a pilgrimagefrom Palestinevia Egypt to Mecca.o When detainee'sgroup arrivedin Mecca,they found that the political climate towards Palestiniansin Saudi Arabia, as well as their lack of money, made it diffrcult for the group to retum home. The group decidedto remain in Mecca until the Hajj when they felt they had a better chanceof returning home.' ' rrR 6 0340337 03 t IIR6 o34022604 ' IIR6 0340337 03 4IIR6 034033703 t oooo49302 lo-MAR-2003 uIIR 6 0340337 03 t 000049302 10-MAR-2003,Analyst Note: Thenext Hajj wouldhave occurred in February2002. 2 S E C R E T // NOFORNI I 20320524 S E C R E T // NOFORN I I 20320524 JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN US9SA-000049DP(S) b. (S//NF) Recruitment and Travel: Detaineestayed in the al-HaramMosque in Mecca for approximately three months. While there, he met a Saudi namedAbu Mahmoud who occasionallybrought food and money for detainee.oAbu Mahmoud spoketo detaineeabout various topics including Palestineand the jihad in Afghanistan. Abu Mahmoud agreedto help detaineefind work as a carpenterin Saudi Arabia if detaineewould first travel to Afghanistan. Detaineewas initially reluctant about traveling to Afghanistan, because detaineestated he could receivejihad training and fight jihad in Palestine. Detaineestated that he was raised to hate Jews, and that he would fight them becausethey were evil towards Palestinians.eHe eventually agreedto go to Afghanistan becausehe did not want to disappoint Abu Mahmoud and saw it as an opportunity to gain money and retum home to get married. Abu Mahmoud took detaineeto a photographer,had passportphotos taken, and severaldays later retumed with a Saudi Arabian passportwith detainee'sphoto and the nutme Ali Matruq al-Ousimi.r0 Detaineegave Abu Mahmoud his legitimatepassport, which was then providedto Abu Mahmoud's cousinin Mecca.ll When detaineeleft Mecca,he took on a new kunya,"Abu Asim."l2 Abu Mahmoudtold detaineeit would be easierto travel out of Yemen (YM), so the two traveled to Sanaa,YM, where they remainedfor severaldays. Two days before detaineedeparted Yemen he was introduced to two men who guided him to Afghanistan. Detaineeand the two men,l3 whom detaineestated are both detaineesat JTF- GTMO,14traveled from Sanaato Dubai, United Arab Emirates,and then to Tehran,Iran (IR). The group stayedin Tehran for severalnights and then traveled to Tayyebat, IR, via Mashhad,IR. Detainee'sgroup crossedthe Iranian-Afghanborder and traveledto Herat,AF. They-stayedin Herat for four days before being taken to an Arab guesthousein Kandahar, AF.,' c. (S//ND Training and Activities: After two weeks at the guesthousein Kandahar, detaineetraveled to the al-Faruq Training Camp, leaving his passportin the guesthousefor safekeeping.Detainee trained for two weekson small arms,but everyonedispersed on 12 t IIR 6 034 033703, Analyst Note: Detaineealso describedanother individual whom he met, a Pakistaninamed Abu Mohammad(see TD-314-06932-02). The relationshipbetween these two individualsis unclearin detainee's Itory. 'IIR6 034022604 'o 000049302 l0-MAR-2003;also referenced in 000049302 30-ocT-2002, IIR 6 0340337 03, 000049 FM40 l0- AUG-2004,000049 FM40 24-JUN-2003, 000049 302 26-JL|N-2003, Analyst Note: Althoughdetainee initially provideda falsestory as a Saudicitizen to accompanyhis timeline,detainee's travel through Iran is consistentin bothversions ofhis story(see IIR 6 0340184 02). " IIR 6 034oio2 02 't > oooo49FM4o 30-JUL-2003 " oooo+9302 lo-MAR-2003 to > 0000+9FM40 30-JUL-2003, Analyst Note: Detaineeidentified one of histraveling companions as Yahya. tt oooo49302 ro-MAR-2003 ) s E c R E T // NOFORN/ I 20320524 S E C R E T //NOFORN I / 20320524 JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN US9SA-000049DP(S) September2001 in responseto the attacksthe day beforein the US. Detaineetraveled to Khowst, AF, where he stayedin a house,and then moved to a village where tents were set up and markedwith a red crossin hopesthat the US would not bomb them.16Detainee remainedin Khowst for approximately three months. While in Khowst, detaineewas injured when a fellow mujahid handleda grenadecarelessly and it explodednear detainee." Detaineewas taken to a hospital in Khowst and then later smuggledacross the border to a Pakistani(PK) hospital,where he underwentsurgery.18 5. (U) Capture Information: a, (S/ {F) Pakistani authorities took detaineeinto custody as he was being transferredto a hospital in Peshawar,PK. Detaineewas taken to a Pakistani military hospital for two weeks and then to a clinic. He was questionedby US forceswhile in the clinic'e and then transferredto US custody in Peshawar,PK, on 27 December 2001.20 b. (U) Property Held: None c. (S) Transferred to JTF-GTMO: 16 January2002 d. (S//NF) Reasonsfor Transfer to JTF-GTMO: To provide informationon the following: o Methodologiesand individualsused in the recruitmentof young Islamic militants in the Middle East 6. (S//NF) Evaluation of Detainee'sAccount: Detaineeadmits having told two substantially different stories. He initially statedthat he was a Saudi citizen and provided a story consistent with being a Saudi to explain his timeline. His later admitted being Palestinianafter he felt assuredhe would not be tumed over to Israeli authorities,as he had originally believed would happen.2lThe timeline he hasprovided sinceidentifying himself as a Palestiniancitizen is 'uoooo49 302 t0-MAR-2003 '7IIR 6 0340643 02 " oooo49302 lo-MAR-2003 'noooo49 302 lo-MAR-2003 'o TD-3l4-00845-02, B. r8 t' 000049MFR 23-MAR-2002,IIR 6 034 0rg4 02,IIR 6 034 017802,000049 302 30-ocr-2002,000049 302 02- APR-2002,IIR 6 0340643 02, Analyst Note: A SaudiDelegation that visited JTF-GTMO in2002 stated that detaineeis not a Saudicitizen, and that the Saudipassport on whichhe traveledwas forged. The delegationstated that detaineeis a Palestinianfrom Gazawith no connectionto SaudiArabia beyond traveling to Meccafor the umrah (seeTD-3 1 4/29 199 -02).. + S E C R E T i /NOFORN I I 20320524 S E C R E T // NOFORN I I 20320524 JTF-GTMO-CDR SUBJECT: Recommendationfor Transfer Out of DoD Control (TRO) for Guantanamo Detainee,ISN US9SA-000049DP(S) consistentwith the activities of other mujahideenthat traveled to Afghanistan and attended training in early fall 2001. However, significantpieces of his story, suchas travelingwith two individuals who are now at JTF-GTMO, have not been confirmed. 7. (U) DetaineeThreat: ^. (s)Assessment: Detaineeis assessedto be a MEDIUM risk, as he may posea threatto the US,its interestsand allies. b. (S//NF) Reasonsfor Continued Detention: Detaineeis assessedto be an Islamic extremist who traveled to Afghanistan for jihad. He admitted receiving militant training at al-Qaida'sal-Faruq Training Camp,and probably residedin al-Qaidaassociated guesthouses.