Moazzam Begg

Who is Moazzam Begg?

Moazzam Begg, is a British Pakistani citizen who was held in extrajudicial detention by the U.S. government in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, for nearly three years after being arrested in Pakistan in February 2002. Arrested by Pakistani police at his home, he was transferred to the custody of US Army officers, who took him first to their detention center at Bagram, Afghanistan.

The Pentagon claimed Begg was an enemy combatant and al-Qaeda member, who recruited for al-Qaeda, provided money for their training camps, and trained at their camps in Afghanistan to fight U.S. or allied troops. Begg has said he spent time at two Islamic training camps in Afghanistan, supported militant Muslim fighters, bought a rifle and a handgun, and was acquainted with persons linked to terrorism, but he denies the remainder of the U.S.'s allegations.

Begg says that when he was incarcerated at Bagram, he was abused. The Pentagon has disputed this. Begg said that he witnessed two detainees being beaten to death while detained at Bagram. After an investigation, in 2005 United States officials concluded the detainees were murdered by American soldiers.