Majid Khan

Majid Shoukat Khan is a Pakistani national who gained international attention as the only known legal resident of the United States held at the Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camp. He was classified by authorities as a "high value detainee." His life has been defined by legal battles and significant shifts in residence between the United States, Pakistan, and Belize.

Early life and education

Khan was born on February 28, 1980, in Pakistan. He eventually moved to the United States, where his family settled in Catonsville, Maryland, near Baltimore. During this period, he attended Owings Mills High School. He graduated from high school in 1999 after being granted asylum in the U.S. in 1998.

According to reports, Khan was exposed to radical Islam during his time in Maryland. He reportedly attended secret prayer meetings at Baltimore's Islamic Society. Officials suggest that individuals at these meetings sought out disaffected young people for recruitment.

Career

Khan worked as a database administrator in a Maryland government office for a short period. During this time, he claims to have assisted the FBI in investigating and arresting an illegal immigrant from Pakistan. However, his career path shifted significantly following the 9/11 attacks.

According to the BBC, The Progressive, and the New York Times, Khan returned to Pakistan to join Al Qaeda. He reportedly worked for the organization as a courier. U.S. officials allege that under the tutelage of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Khan helped plan attacks against gas stations and water reservoirs. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence further asserted that he was involved in plots targeting U.S. petroleum infrastructure.

In 2003, Pakistani authorities captured Khan and handed him over to the CIA. He was held incognito at a black site in Afghanistan, where he was reportedly subjected to interrogation and torture. In September 2006, President George W. Bush announced that Khan had been transferred to military custody at Guantanamo Bay. In 2012, Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy and the murder of 11 civilians during the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted assassination of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Following his plea, he began cooperating with the U.S. government.

In 2021, a Guantanamo Military Commission sentenced Khan retroactively to 26 years in prison. His sentence was completed on March 1, 2022. After Belize agreed to accept him, he was released from Guantanamo Bay to that country on February 2, 2023.

Personal life

In 2002, Khan returned to Pakistan and married 18-year-old Rabia Yaqoub. According to author Deborah Scroggins, Khan had become more religious following the death of his mother. He reportedly asked his aunt to help him find a wife who was a religious scholar, and Rabia was one of his aunt's students.

Khan's family also faced legal scrutiny during his detention. In 2003, security agents arrested Khan, his brother Mohammed, and other relatives in Karachi. While most of the family was released after one month, Rabia and the rest of his family received no information regarding his whereabouts for three years.