On January 15, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that John Walker Lindh will be brought to the United States immediately, where he will stand trial in Alexandria, VA, for his involvement with the Taliban. Right now, Walker is facing life in prison, but if evidence of treason emerges, Ashcroft says it is possible that Walker could receive the death penalty.
Court reports show that Walker knew Osama Bin Laden sent troops to the U.S. on suicide missions three months before the September 11 attacks.
Who is he?
John Phillip Walker Lindh, a.k.a Suleyman al-Faris, a.k.a Abdul Hamid, a.k.a John Walker was born in 1981. He was named after the late John Lennon of the legendary Beatles. He grew up in Marin County, California, surrounded by the richy rich.
He attended an awesome, elite alternative high school where students were allowed to choose what they wanted to study and only had to check in with their teachers once a week.
How did he get hooked on Islam?
Walker's dad is Catholic. But John rejected Catholicism early on in the game. He discovered a love for Islam while pursuing other interests online.
At 14, Walker would surf hip-hop websites under the screen name "doodoo." At the time, he was obsessed with violent and sexual lyrics. He even posted messages speaking from the perspective of an African American, referring to "our blackness."
The turning point came when Walker was 16 and read a book that would forever change his life, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Walker's hip-hop site postings began to change. In a 1997 message examined by Newsweek, Walker asked why top-selling rapper Nas (who used to refer to himself as 'God') would smoke marijuana and drink alcohol if he was indeed a god. Shortly after, Walker sold his rap CDs and converted to Islam.
Walker then began wearing traditional Islamic dresses and calling himself 'Suleyman.' He caught lots of attention in Marin County, which is normally a very tolerant area.
Where were his parents?
His parents tried to be supportive and not judge their son. In fact, they were proud that Walker was pursuing other interests. They didn't even trip when he dropped out of school and got a GED instead.
They were dealing with their own problems. In late 1998, Walker's parents split up. While they were searching for separate places to live, Walker was determined to memorize the Quran and the Sharia (Islamic rules for living and worship).
When did he leave the U.S.?
During his parents' breakup, Walker was determined to make a pilgrimage to Yemen. Why Yemen? Yemeni Arabic is closest to the language of the Quran.
According to reports, his parents were basically broke at the time because of their separation but agreed to pay for the trip. His father, Frank Lindh, told Newsweek he wanted to support his son's "passion" and "commitment to learning."
While in Yemen, Walker was bothered by the fact that Islam had many sects. He felt that all Muslims should follow the same law.
When did he join the Taliban?
Walker was miserable when he returned home from Yemen. He felt uncomfortable in America. Walker then joined a large missionary group called Tablighi Jamaat (the rumor is that on the down low, this group recruits radical extremists).
No one knows how Walker ended up in Afghanistan. Word is he returned to Yemen for a short period of time and then followed his mentor, Khizar Hiyat, to Pakistan where he studied more primitive forms of Islam.
In May 2001, Walker emailed a friend stating that he wanted to see how the Sharia (Islamic rules of living and worship) was actually being used. In his search for the purist form of Islam, Walker stumbled upon the Taliban. He joined the "holy warriors", became 'Abdul Hamid' and learned to shoot AK-47s.
How did he get caught?
According to CNN, Walker began fighting with Pakistanis in Kashmir in the summer of 2001. When the U.S. started bombing Afghanistan, Walker began to fight against the Northern Alliance in Konduz.
When their leader sold them out, Walker and his fellow Taliban soldiers marched 100 miles and surrendered to the Alliance.
They were then shipped to a fortress near Mazar-e Sharif.
While at the fortress Walker was shot in the leg during the same brawl that resulted in the beating and killing of CIA operative, Mike Spann.
Tribunals, treason and Taliban friends.
Since Walker is a United States citizen he is not a candidate for the Military Tribunals that will be used to try the other terrorists. He can be tried for treason but it will be difficult to prove because there must be two witnesses. U.S. officials seriously doubt Walker's Taliban friends will be good witnesses in court. However, Newsweek sources reveal that if Walker releases Al Qaeda terrorist network information he might be able to negotiate a plea bargain.
--By Erica "ericaNOISE" Fullington
Get more info on the players in The War Against Terrorism:
• Check out Who is Osama bin Laden and Top 10 People You Should Know Right Now.
• Also see Factoids About Afghanistan & America and Islam, Arabs, Muslims & Intolerance.
