Ahmed Belbacha is a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay who, scheduled for release as of February 2007, is now, one year later, attempting to avoid being sent back to his homeland of Algeria by the U.S. government, where he worries he will become a torture victim at the hands of either local officals or members of Al Qaeda. Belbacha had sought refuge away from Algeria following the outbreak of its civil war in 1999, living first in France, then in England. While he subsequently left England for Pakistan in 2001, a trip to Afghanistan led to his incarceration, as he was unable to successfully return back, picked up by locals and delivered to U.S. officials shortly after his reentry. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Belbacha was suspected of terrorist activities associated with the Taliban and sent to a Cuban-based U.S. naval base, where he remained until being cleared in February 2007. American officials are currently reexamining his case.
Fast Facts:
- Origin: Algeria
- Was a former professional football player
- Worked for Algerian oil company Sonatrach
