Abdullah Kamel Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari Summarized Sworn Detainee Statement

UNCLASSIFIED / FOUO

Summarized Sworn Detainee Statement

The Tribunal President asked if the detainee understood the CSRT process

Detainee: Yes.

The Tribunal President asked if the detainee had any questions concerning the Tribunal process

Detainee: No

Detainee: The paper that my family sent, is that part of the evidence?

Tribunal President: It is additional information that has been provided to us.

The Tribunal President asked if the detainee wanted to make a statement the detainee stated, "yes", and provided the following statement after electing to be sworn:

I want to tell my story from the beginning. You know what happened on 11 September. Shortly after, I heard about eight million people wanted to leave Afghanistan and go to Iran. They were stuck. Iran wanted them to go inside Iran. They prayed to go to the war. The poor people were suffering and I want to give to the Aid committee. I wanted to give them money to send to the poor people. They told me no and said they didn't go there. The poor people were abused. So, I thought to myself, I have money, I have my feet, my car, I have everything. I thought of the poor there, children and old men. I thought of my family and my emotions over came me. So, I told myself I would go. I left and met a person in the Mosque. I can't think of his name.

Tribunal Member asked the Detainee: When you say there, do you mean Afghanistan or Iran?

Detainee: No, Kuwait. When I went to the Mosque in Kuwait I told the man I want to give. He said good and thank you. He told me to go to Iran, I think to Tabat. I went to Iran and they stamped :my passport. I showed them a paper and told them I want to go to this place. I went there and showed some one the paper. They told me thank you for helping the poor people. I took $15,000.00 dollars. He did everything; he bought them blankets and food. I was there about ten days. I took a vacation from my job. I didn't know there was a war. When I finished I wanted to go back to my country. When I got to the Iranian border, they told me no. I asked why, you stamped my passport when I came in. I told them I wanted to go to my country and they told me I was not allowed. I asked the man with me, what do we do? He told me of a place called lalalabad. I told him okay and we went to Jalalabad. He put me in a home and he went back to the border. They told him no, I couldn't leave the country because I am Arabic. I was then moved from home to home. The problems got worse. The people there wanted to kill Arabics. I was told to be careful and don't go anywhere. I was always stuck in a small room and never went out. They would bring me food. My passport was in my jacket pocket and I left it somewhere. They continued to move me from house to house. I continued to say that I wanted to go home and I was told I couldn't. I told them I would give them anything and told them I had children and a pregnant wife. I told them I had a good job and if I didn't get back I would lose my job. I was told not to worry and was brought two people to guide me. We left in the snow and went through the mountains. I saw death but I wanted to go home. We arrived in Pakistan and I was put in another home. Every couple of days I was moved to a different house. One night they came and got me. I asked where we were going and told them I wanted to go to my embassy. They told me okay and took me to a Mosque. There were about one hundred people at the Mosque. They started to pick ten people at a time. I was told not to worry; I would get to my embassy. I was then put in ajail and they didn't take any of my information. I was then put in a bus; there were three of them. I was put in the first bus and told not to worry I was going home. When the bus stopped, we were told to "go, go, go." I asked what was happening but no one knew. I was put in another jail and searched. Everything was taken from us. We were given no food or blankets. We heard later that many of the people on the bus behind us were killed. We were then put in a truck and we drove for about twenty hours with our hands tied. We asked why and were told to shut up and we were hit. They took us to a big jail. We were investigated and then sent to Kandahar and then to Cuba.

The Detainee then asked if the Tribunal wanted him to address each of the charges on the unclassified summary. The Tribunal President told the Detainee if he wanted to that would be fine.

'''Regarding the allegation 3. A 1.''' (Detainee traveled to Afghanistan, via Iran, after 11 September 2001, with approximately $15,000 U.S. dollars.)

Detainee: About the $15,000.00 dollars, was it clear or do you want me to tell you again?

Tribunal President: We understood from your statement, we understood what you were saying. Regarding the allegation 3. A 2. (Detainee was captured with a Casio watch, model F- 91 W, a common watch used by Al-Qaeda to detonate improvised explosive devices.)

Detainee: About the casio watch I had. When they told me that Casio's were used by Al-Qaeda and the watch was for explosives, I was shocked. We have two watches in Kuwait, Fossil and Casio. The watch shows the direction of Mecca.

The Tribunal President asked if it had a compass.

Detainee: Yes. It can show me from anywhere in the world. I go all over the world. I am Muslim and pray five times a day. I need it. Many people in Kuwait have this watch. It's not tied to an AI-Qaeda company is it? I swear I don't know if terrorist use it or if they make explosives with it. If I had known that, I would have thrown it away. I'm not stupid. We have four Chaplains [at Guantanamo] all of them wear this watch. I am not Taliban or AI-Qaeda.

'''Regarding the allegation 3. A 3.''' (One of the Detainee's known aliases was on a list of captured hard drives associated with a senior AI-Qaeda member.)

Detainee: Can you tell me the name that was found in the computer?

Tribunal President: We don't have that information in the unclassified evidence. I don't know what name was in the computer at this time.

Detainee: If he put my name Adullah Kamal, I am famous at home. I play on the National Volleyball team. Why he put my name in the computer, I don't know. They don't know me I swear they don't know me. Look at me, look at the clothes I wear and how tall I am. I have a large scar on my hand. (inaudible) I would like to know the name. I go by Saliman, my son is Saliman, and there are many Salimans. The problem is the secret information, I can't defend myself. I have money, I have cars, I have my children, I have my wife and unborn children and I'm going to be AI-Qaeda? I'm not stupid and I'm going to do this against the biggest country in the world, America. When I was told I was AI-Qaeda I was shocked. They don't have any evidence against me, to put me here. I don't have a choice, God is well here, so I'll be patient. Why did they put me here like this?

Tribunal President: That's what we are here to determine.

Detainee: That is my statement, thank you.

Summarized Answers in Response to Questions by the Personal Representative

Q. 	What nicknames are you known by?

A. 	Al Saliman.

Tribunal President: And just so we understand what does that mean?

Detainee: If you call your son John, its father of John, If you call your son Smith, its father of Smith.

Tribunal President: I knew that but I wanted it for the record that what that means is, you are the father of Saliman.

Detainee: Yes my son is Saliman. We have a different culture. Ifhe called me Abdullah, its kind of disrespectful, it's normal but not nice.

Q. 	Is your name a common name in Kuwait?

A. 	Yes, many Abdullah's.

Q. 	You told us you have a good job, what do you normally do with your salary?

A. 	I make a good salary about $3,700. My wife works and we make about $4,500.

Q. 	Do you spend all of your money?

A. Because of the troubles we had in the past, I try not to spend my money. I put half of my money in the bank and the other half in my home. If there is trouble at the bank I have my money at the house. If some one steals the money in my borne, I have the money in the bank. I take care of my children, my father in-law, my sister and her four children. Her husband has a drug problem, so she lives in my home. When this situation happened, my emotions took over. I try to keep my money, I'm not a stupid man that gives my money away. Summarized Answers in Response to Questions by the Tribunal Members

Q. 	You're educated as an Electrical Engineer, is that correct?

A. 	Assistant Engineer.

Q. 	Assistant Electrical Engineer?

A. 	Water and Electricity. The Ministry of Water and Electricity.

Q. 	So, you know how to design and build electrical devices?

A. 	That is not my Major. I am the water manager. I watch the people dig the holes andset the pipes. I make sure they are right, they are covered right and the pressure is right. I do not work with electricity only water. I am the supervisor.

Q. 	Were you educated at a University for this job?

A. 	Academy.

Q. 	The Casio watch you had, was it in anyway altered so it would emit electrical signals?

A. 	Only a battery change.

Q. 	So, it couldn't transmit anything, just a regular watch?

A. 	If it were altered it would have been stupid to keep it.

Q. 	Where did you stay in Afghanistan? Can you tell me about the guesthouses you stayed at?

A. 	They were not guesthouses they were normal houses. I was always hiding.

Q. 	And you had to do this because they felt that the Pashtu hated Arabs?

A. 	Yes, Pashtu are Afghanis.

Q. 	You said you had a letter from your Imam for permission to travel, is that what that letter is for?

A. I don't understand.

Personal Representative: Whom did you get the letter from when you were looking for instructions on how to get to Afghanistan?

A. 	What letter?

Q. 	Why did you need, you said when you left Kuwait you went to your Imam at the Mosque?

A. 	Ahh. This was normal, the Imam doesn't know anything, he is Kuwaiti. He doesn't know about Pakistan or Afghanistan. He told me he would write me a letter. He said you go to Iran, go across the border, go to Tabat, and use the letter. I don't know Pashtu or the Iranian language.

Q. 	So, the letter was written in Pashtu.

A. 	I don't know.

Q. 	Did he make travel arrangements for you or did you do those yourself?

A. 	I did them, he is a poor man, he just gave me the letter.

Q. 	So, it is sort of a letter of introduction?

A. 	Yes.

Q. 	Did you ever receive military training?

A. 	No, I have been excused from the military because of my hand.

Q. 	Did you ever see any fighting in Afghanistan?

A. 	No.

Q. 	Did you ever interact with any Taliban members or AI-Qaeda?

A. 	No.

Q. 	The evidence says when you were captured you still had $15,000 on you?

A. 	No I spent it.

Q. 	You had spent it already?

A. 	Yes. I spent $13,000.00 and kept $2,000.00 fortravel. I gave it to the poor people.

Tribunal Member: You're right, I misread it. I apologize. It does say you traveled there with $15,000.00 dollars.

Q. 	So, you gave $13,000.00 to the poor people and kept $2,000.00 to help you get back?

A. 	Yes.

Q. 	When you left Afghanistan, whom did you travel with, who were your guides, and were you in the company with some one when you went to Pakistan?

A. 	Two people in Afghanistan who showed me the way.

Q. 	Do you know who they were?

A. 	I gave them money and said let's go.

Q. 	Just the three of you traveled across the border?

A. 	Yes.

Q. 	And when you got to Pakistan were you in a group of other people or other Arabs?

A. 	No. Only at the Mosque.

Q. 	Had you heard of AI-Qaeda before you left?

A. 	Everybody talks about them.

Q. 	What is your opinion of AI-Qaeda?

A. 	They are terrorist, vicious.

Q. 	Do you have any other evidence to present to this Tribunal?

A. 	No.

Q. 	Personal Representative do you have any other evidence to present to this Tribunal?

A. 	No.

After the Tribunal closed and the Tribunal Members departed the room, the Detainee told his Personal Representative he forgot to say something that was very important.

Tribunal President: The Detainee has stated he has something that he wanted to tell us, so we will reconvene the Tribunal in the unclassified session.

Detainee: I am sorry to get you back here.

Tribunal President: That's all right. It is important that you have the opportunity to tell us. We understand the importance to you.

Detainee: About when I was in Pakistan. People came and took our pictures. They took my picture and other prisoner's pictures and put them on the internet. They put us on list and said these people are AI-Qaeda and these people are Amujahadine. That is an important thing; I didn't have any choice in this. They took many pictures ofme. Maybe they listed me as Al-Qaeda, but I swear I am not part of them.

Tribunal Member: So, you are saying they took you picture after you were captured and then put it on the internet and maybe that's how it got on this hard drive from there?

Detainee: Yes. I didn't believe it at first but then when I came to court and they told me my name was on the internet. I thought to myself, why did they put my name on the internet, and what name did they use?

Tribunal President: Thank you for your statements and we will take them all into account. Is there anything else you would like to tell us.

Detainee: Thank you and sorry again for bringing you back.

I certify the material contained in this transcript is a true and accurate summary of the testimony given during the proceedings.

ISN#228 Enclosure (3) Page 8 of8

UNCLASSIFIED / FOUO

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