American Taliban Fighter to Be Freed in May Hasn't Denounced Islamic Extremism

Published: 3/20/2019, 10:06:01 AM EDT

American Taliban Fighter to Be Freed in May Hasn't Denounced Islamic Extremism — John Walker Lindh in a photo from the records of a religious school in Pakistan, left, and Lindh in a file photo from the Alexandria County Sheriff's Department. (Tariq Mahmood/AFP/Getty Images; Alexandria County Sheriffs Department/Getty Images)

An American who was convicted in 2002 for supporting the Taliban is slated to be released in May but has not renounced Islamic extremism.

John Walker Lindh was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001, several months before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, when he was captured with a group of Taliban fighters.

Lindh was convicted of providing material aid to the terror group but some wanted him tried on treason charges, which would have resulted in the death penalty if he was convicted.

Lindh will be released in several months but, according to the National Counterterrorism Center, he remains radicalized.

John Walker Lindh is shown in this undated photo bound to a stretcher after his capture by U.S. troops at Camp Rhino in Khandahar, Afghanistan. This image is a copy of a photo released by Lindh's defense lawyers after a discovery hearing in the U.S. court in Alexandria, Va., on April 1, 2002, (Getty Images) — John Walker Lindh is shown in this undated photo bound to a stretcher after his capture by U.S. troops at Camp Rhino in Khandahar, Afghanistan. This image is a copy of a photo released by Lindh's defense lawyers after a discovery hearing in the U.S. court in Alexandria, Va., on April 1, 2002, Getty Images

"American Taliban" John Walker Lindh with his attorney George Harris (R) and U.S. Attorney Randy Bellows (second from right) appear before Judge T.S. Ellis III at the U.S. courthouse in Alexandria, Va. on Feb. 15, 2002. (Shawn Thew/AFP/Getty Images) — "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh with his attorney George Harris (R) and U.S. Attorney Randy Bellows (second from right) appear before Judge T.S. Ellis III at the U.S. courthouse in Alexandria, Va. on Feb. 15, 2002. Shawn Thew/AFP/Getty Images

“As of May 2016, John Walker Lindh—who is scheduled to be released in May 2019 after being convicted of supporting the Taliban—continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts,” according to a 2017 document from the center obtained by Foreign Policy marked "Official Use Only."

Intelligence officers discovered that Lindh “told a television news producer that he would continue to spread violent extremist Islam upon his release.”

Lindh dropped out of high school and traveled to Yemen to learn Arabic at age 17, after being inspired by the movie "Malcolm X" to convert to Islam.

14-year-old John Walker Lindh appears in this file photo. (Lindh Family/Getty Images) — 14-year-old John Walker Lindh appears in this file photo. Lindh Family/Getty Images

He later went to Pakistan, where he fought for Kashmir's independence from India, before joining the Taliban in Afghanistan. He met Osama bin Laden at least once there.

He and other prisoners captured in Afghanistan staged an uprising during which some 500 were killed in addition to a CIA operations officer. The conviction came after Lindh pleaded guilty to one count in exchange for prosecutors dropping the other nine counts, including charges he tried to kill a CIA officer or support terrorism.

At his sentencing, the then-21-year-old said: “I condemn terrorism on every level—unequivocally. My beliefs about jihad are those of mainstream Muslims around the world.”

Marilyn Walker (L) and Frank Lindh, parents of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, speak to the media after their son made his first appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Va. on Jan. 24, 2002. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) — Marilyn Walker (L) and Frank Lindh, parents of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, speak to the media after their son made his first appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Va. on Jan. 24, 2002. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Plan

Lindh has been planning for his release and at one point came up with the idea of moving to Ireland after being released, according to the Bureau of Prisons Intelligence. He obtained Irish citizenship in 2013, thanks to his paternal grandmother being born in the country.

“Regarding the Ireland issue, I really don’t know what to expect from the Irish government. I know virtually nothing about them. I think the only reasonable way to present my case to them is to explain my unique circumstances that make my survival in the US practically impossible,” Lindh wrote to CAGE, an NGO that advocates on behalf of prisoners and detainees caught up in the war on terrorism. “Essentially I am seeking asylum from one country where I am a citizen in another country where I am also a citizen. The worst they can do is to decline my request. I figure it is worth at least trying."

A spokesman for the Irish Department of Justice told the Times in February that an Irish citizen may not be prevented from entering the country after some speculated that authorities there could block Lindh from entering.

The issue is highly pertinent as scores of women involved with the ISIS terror group attempt to re-enter countries across the Western world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.