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Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun
Born1971 (age 52–53)
Saudi Arabia
Arrested2005 (first)
June 24, 2011 (second)
Libya (first)
Italy (second)
Citizenship Niger
Detained at  ADX Florence, Colorado, US
Other name(s) Spin Ghul
Alleged to be
a member of		 Al-Qaeda
Charge(s)
  • conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals;
  • conspiracy to bomb a U.S. government facility;
  • conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, al-Qaeda;
  • providing and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda;
  • use of explosives in connection with a felony offense.
Penalty Life imprisonment

Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun is a citizen of Niger who was convicted for his role in the death of two US soldiers, in 2003. [1] [2] [3]

Early life in Saudi Arabia

Although he is routinely listed as a citizen of Niger, Harun was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. [4] It was in Saudi Arabia that he formed his support for jihadism, and from where he is reported to have left to undertake military training at a training camp in Afghanistan. He is reported to have arrived in Afghanistan shortly before al-Qaeda perpetrated the September 11 attacks in 2001. [3]

2003 firefight

Harun was said to have been part of a force that ambushed a group of American soldiers that included Jerod Dennis and Ray Losano, and wounded three other men. [1] [2] [4] Harun was said to have been wounded, during the attack, but was able to escape to Pakistan. [3]

Contact with al-Qaeda leaders

Harun met with Abu Faraj al-Libi and Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi – two senior al-Qaeda leaders. [3] It was at this point that he joined al-Qaeda and swore an oath – bayat – to obey Osama bin Laden. They delegated him to travel to Nigeria to lead an attack on the United States Embassy in Abuja. According to Tom Hays, reporting for the Associated Press, Harun then traveled to Africa, where he had some involvement in a plot to bomb a US embassy. [1]

Harun was first tied to the deaths of the American soldiers when a copy of the Quran a surviving GI found on the battlefield, and kept, as a souvenir, was found to contain Harun's fingerprints. [1]

Arrest and legal battle

The DOJ describes Harun fleeing Nigeria when one of his contacts was apprehended, and he believed the plot's secrecy was compromised. [3] They assert he fled to Libya, from where he planned to travel to Europe. Libyan security officials however arrested Harun first, in 2005, and held him until June 2011, when the Muammar Gaddafi regime was overthrown.

Harun then fled Libya immediately, boarding refugee ship to Italy on June 24, 2011. On board, he attacked law enforcement officers and was arrested. [5] In Italy, the government conducted three days of audio-recorded interviews in the presence of an Italian judge and defense counsel. [3] Tom Hays, of the Associated Press, reported that Harun confessed to playing a role in the 2003 firefight when he was in Italian custody. [6]

Harun was indicted in the United States on February 21, 2012, and the Italian Minister of Justice ordered his extradition on September 14, 2012, to face the charges in the Eastern District of New York. He was extradited to US in October 2012. [7]

There was concern over Harun's sanity, but experts in mental health testified that he had the basic mental competency to stand trial. Nevertheless, he is reported to have insisted he was a "warrior", and tried to insist he should be tried in the Guantanamo military commission system. [8] He is reported to have refused to appear in court or discuss his case with his lawyers, because he was not being tried in Guantanamo. [9]

His trial lasted two weeks, but it only took his jury two hours to reach their verdict and found him guilty on March 16, 2017. [3] Harun was convicted of all five counts, which included conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals; conspiracy to bomb a U.S. government facility; conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, al-Qaeda; providing and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda; and use of explosives in connection with a felony offense.

He was sentenced to life in prison on February 16, 2018. [10] As of 2023, Harun is serving his life sentence at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado. [11]

Law Professor Karen Greenberg, the author of several books on Guantanamo, described Harun's case as significant, as it showed how trials in civilian courts could be successful, in contrast to the long delays, and confusion, when suspects were tried, in Guantanamo military commissions. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Tom Hays (2017-03-16). "As Trump touts Guantanamo, civilian prosecutors win". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  2. ^ a b "Al-Qaeda member convicted in New York court for 2003 killings of U.S. servicemen: Jerod Dennis and Ray Losano were killed in a 2003 battle in Afghanistan near Pakistan border". CBC News. 2017-03-17. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-03-16. Harun, 43, refused to attend his trial in New York. At a court hearing last year, he demanded both the return of his Quran and a military trial in Guantanamo.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Al Qaeda Operative Convicted Of Multiple Terrorism Offenses Targeting Americans Overseas". US Department of Justice. 2017-03-16. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-16. Harun, also known as "Spin Ghul," was convicted of all five counts presented to the jury, which included conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals; conspiracy to bomb a U.S. government facility; conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, al-Qaeda; providing and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaeda; and use of explosives in connection with a felony offense.
  4. ^ a b Andrew Keshner (2017-03-07). "Al Qaeda 'terrorist' was hell-bent on killing Americans, prosecutors say". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-16. Harun, 46, who was born in Saudi Arabia but considers himself a citizen of Niger, has insisted he should be tried in an international or military court.
  5. ^ DeGregory, Priscilla; Whitehouse, Kaja (2017-03-16). "Jury convicts al-Qaeda member for killing two US soldiers". Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ Tom Hays (2017-03-16). "Admitted Al-Qaida fighter convicted in NY terror case". New York: Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-03-16. Harun, 46, was extradited from Italy to the United States in 2012. Prosecutors told jurors that while in Italian custody, he confessed that he threw a grenade and shot at an American military unit in a 2003 ambush that killed Army Pvt. Jerod Dennis, of Antlers, Oklahoma, and Air Force Airman Ray Losano, of Del Rio, Texas.
  7. ^ "Al-Qaida Operative Gets Life Sentence for Killing Soldiers, Bomb Plot". VOA. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. ^ Jordan Brunner (2017-03-17). "Today's Headlines and Commentary". Lawfare. Archived from the original on 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  9. ^ Joseph Ax (2017-03-16). "Al Qaeda operative guilty in deaths of U.S. servicemen, bomb plot". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2017-03-16. Harun was not present in court for the trial. Since his extradition from Italy in October 2012, he has insisted he is a "warrior" who should face a military tribunal rather than criminal proceedings.
  10. ^ "Al-Qaeda Operative Sentenced to Life in Prison for Terrorism Offenses Targeting Americans Overseas". www.justice.gov. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  11. ^ "Inmate Locator". www.bop.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
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