Ali al-Bahlul
publication date: Tuesday, January 11, 2022 (part of Winter 2022)
category: 
Terrorism
clue: Twenty years ago today, he became one of the first twenty detainees at a notorious military prison where he remains today. He has argued that his convictions for conspiring with Al-Qaeda are no more legally valid than convicting him for being born on 9/11.
explanation: Bahlul was one of the first 20 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay when it opened on January 11, 2002. He was convicted of terrorism-related charges but argued that there was no legal basis for the military tribunal against him. He was born on September 11, 1969. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, and Richard Slominsky
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