Senators Hassan, Britt Sound Alarm on Potential Terrorist Threats Following Release of Convicted American Taliban Fighter John Walker Lindh

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Katie Britt (R-AL) are expressing concern about reports that convicted American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, who was released from prison three years early, violated a condition of his parole by meeting multiple times with convicted ISIS supporter, Ali Amin. In 2019, prior to Lindh’s release, Senator Hassan joined then-Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) in raising the alarm about Lindh’s anticipated early release from prison. Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2001, and the following year pled guilty to serving as a soldier of the Taliban and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Senators Hassan and Britt wrote, “In 2019, your agencies indicated that more than 100 individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes would be released from federal prisons by 2025. While Lindh is an example of just one terrorist offender’s reported parole violations, we are also concerned that this example could be indicative of a systemic national security gap and emerging threat.”

They continue, “In 2019, Senator Hassan and Senator Shelby wrote to your agencies to express public safety concerns ahead of Lindh’s imminent release. While we appreciate the information that your agencies provided us in response, given the new report of Lindh’s parole violations, we are concerned that compartmentalized information between Department of Justice agencies may have prevented authorities from taking appropriate action.”

In their letter, the Senators request information on whether Lindh or other released terrorist have attempted to, or successfully contacted, other violent extremists. They also ask what steps the Department of Justice and its agencies are taking to protect against threats from possible recidivist terrorists.

To read the Senators’ letter, see below or click here:

Dear Attorney General Garland:

We write to express concern over the federal government’s ability to monitor and prevent threats to public safety from people convicted of terrorism-related crimes upon their release from federal custody. Specifically, we are concerned about a recent report that convicted American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh violated the terms of his early release agreement from prison in 2021 by meeting with a known ISIS supporter.

Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2001, and the following year pled guilty to serving as a soldier of the Taliban. Lindh was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and during that time he continued to profess his belief in, and commitment to, terrorist ideology. In May 2019, Lindh was released on probation from prison three years early, based on good conduct. Upon his release, Lindh was instructed, among other conditions, not to associate with any known violent extremists. However, recent public reporting indicates that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) photographed Lindh meeting multiple times with convicted ISIS supporter Ali Amin (who was also under federal supervised release) during Lindh’s probationary period, thus violating the terms of his parole. Yet while reports detail that parole officials took steps to send Amin back to jail for his alleged supervised release violations, Lindh remained released on parole.

In 2019, your agencies indicated that more than 100 individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes would be released from federal prisons by 2025. While Lindh is an example of just one terrorist offender’s reported parole violations, we are also concerned that this example could be indicative of a systemic national security gap and emerging threat.

In 2019, Senator Hassan and Senator Shelby wrote to your agencies to express public safety concerns ahead of Lindh’s imminent release. While we appreciate the information that your agencies provided us in response, given the new report of Lindh’s parole violations, we are concerned that compartmentalized information between Department of Justice agencies may have prevented authorities from taking appropriate action. For that reason, we request responses to the enclosed questions:

1. To your agency’s knowledge, since his release from federal custody, has John Walker Lindh met with, attempted to meet with, contacted, or attempted to contact any known violent extremists or terrorist offenders including – but not limited to – Ali Amin?
1. If yes, please provide the date(s) on which probation officials or other Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials were informed of any such instances by which agency, and what, if any, recommended actions were shared with BOP.
2. If yes, did your agency assess whether these instances posed a threat to public safety?
3. If yes, please provide a list of any actions that were taken to protect the public.
4. If yes, please provide information regarding any recommendations, warnings, or documentation of parole violations provided by the FBI, the National Security Division, or another agency to Bureau of Prisons officials in response to such incidents.
5. If your agency possessed knowledge that Lindh met with Amin – or any other known violent extremists or terrorist offenders - prior to the conclusion of his parole, then please provide the reasoning behind the decision not to revoke Lindh’s parole.

1. To your agency’s knowledge, have any other released terrorist offenders met with, attempted to meet with, contacted, or attempted to make contact with known violent extremists or terrorist offenders? 
1. If yes, please provide the date(s) on which probation officials or other BOP officials were informed of any such instances, by which agency, and what, if any, recommended actions were shared with BOP.
2. If yes, did your agency assess whether these instances posed a threat to public safety?
3. If yes, please provide a list of any actions that were taken to protect the public.

1. What programs, processes, or strategies, if any, has the Department of Justice and its agencies developed or implemented to identify, track, measure, or monitor threats from possible recidivist terrorists?
1. Please provide any formal documents, guidance, definitions, or policy related to mitigating threats connected to terrorist recidivism

In addition, enclosed please find a copy of the previous letter sent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, on May 19, 2019. Specifically, we would like to know how you have addressed the gaps we identified, particularly as they related to risk assessments, behavioral programming and intervention efforts, information sharing and coordination policies between federal and state and local entities involved in probation, parole, and mitigating recidivism.

Given the fact that multiple Department of Justice agencies and offices – the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division – have critical roles with investigations and oversight of these national security threats, the Department of Justice has a responsibility to review the troubling public reports about Lindh’s parole violations and provide responses to our questions. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We respectfully request that the information requested be provided to our offices by February 24, 2023.

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