Mohammed Abdul Malik

About Mohammed Abdul Malik

Abdul Malik is a Kenyan national who arrived in Guantánamo in 2007, after he was falsely implicated in attacks on U.S.-Israeli interests in the region. Those who named him did so under torture and have since recanted their statements.

Abdul Malik is without doubt the most voluble detainee in Guantánamo Bay. He may be designated a ‘Forever Prisoner’ by the US, but he is forever smiling, unwilling to let anything get him down. Abdul Malik’s father left the family when he was three years old and his mother died when he was young. He and the other siblings were raised by a half sister. He met his wife while searching for a boat part in a scrap market. They have three children.

Captured and Detained

In December 2006, Ethiopia invaded Somalia, and Abdul Malik believed it was too dangerous to remain in Mogadishu as a foreigner. Little did he know there were other dangers ahead. He went back to Mombasa, Kenya, but was detained while eating breakfast in the Ramadan Hotel on February 13, 2007. The British government appears to have contributed SIGINT tracing his phone leading to his detention. Initially, the US alleged that he was somehow involved in attacks on US-Israeli interests in the region. However, all those alleged to have been involved with him were subsequently cleared of the charges by Kenya, after evidence of their torture was revealed in court. They had apparently implicated Abdul Malik under torture, which they recanted when freed. His entire detention appears to be predicated on false intelligence. He was rendered to Djibouti and then to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, before being taken to Guantánamo Bay in March 2007.

Life in Guantánamo

Going back 14 years, it is clear Abdul Malik is no threat to anyone: “Detainee is assessed to be a LOW threat from a detention perspective, based on an initial DoD observation period. Detainee’s overall behaviour has been compliant and non-hostile to the guard force and staff. Detainee currently has no Reports of Disciplinary Infraction listed in DIMS.” Abdul Malik has always had a deep interest in spiritual healing, and he was respected in his local community.