John Walker Lindh Is One Of 427 Charged With Jihad Terrorism, Does He Still Count?

Can John Walker Lindh Be Deradicalized?

VOA Masood Farivar

John Walker Lindh, the former jihadi dubbed the “American Taliban,” was released from prison Thursday after completing 17 years of a 20-year sentence for supporting the Afghan insurgent group.

The first American detainee in the U.S. war on terror, Lindh, now 38, was captured in late 2001 while fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was later taken back to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to two terrorism related charges.

The Californian is among at least 427 individuals who have been charged with jihadi terrorism or related crimes since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to the think tank New America. Nearly a hundred have been freed, with up to 90 more approaching the end of their prison terms in the next five years, said Jesse Morton, a convicted ex-jihadi who runs Parallel Networks, a group that works with former extremists.

That has rekindled a debate over how to reintegrate former American jihadis into society. Unlike other Western nations, the U.S. has no rehabilitation programs for former jihadists, leaving them largely to their own devices.

Lindh’s case has drawn attention in part because of concern he continues to harbor radical Islamist views. At his sentencing in 2002, Lindh denounced terrorism and said the attacks of Sept. 11 were against the teachings of Islam. But U.S. counterterrorism officials have assessed in recent years that his views haven’t changed. A 2017 National Counterterrorism Center document obtained by Foreign Policy magazine stated that as of May 2016, Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”

Lindh will remain on supervised release for the next three years, barred by a federal judge from communicating with known extremists, viewing extremist online content, possessing internet capable devices, traveling internationally without prior approval.

Morton said his organization reached out to Lindh to offer reintegration services but hasn’t received a response.

A convert to Islam, Morton co-founded Revolution Muslim, a group that propagandized and recruited on behalf of al-Qaida online and on the streets of New York from 2006-2011. He spent nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to inciting attacks against the creators of “South Park” and agreeing to cooperate with the FBI.

VOA spoke with Morton about Lindh’s release. The interview was edited for length and clarity.

VOA: Before I ask you about Lindh’s release, can you talk a little bit about your own transition out of a group that was once described as a dangerous terrorism network?

Jesse Morton: When I was incarcerated … I was able to sort of extract myself from the jihadist milieu. And instead of dabbling more into Islamist works, I dabbled into post-Enlightenment works, became reacclimated with my American culture, American upbringing, saw the West and the Enlightenment as a value in overcoming sectarianism. And slowly in prison, I was able to reform myself by looking at the mistakes that I had made. By the time I was released in 2015, ISIS (Islamic State) was a problem. I realized I had created a big monster. I had contributed largely to spreading that ideology. And now I work to combat the ideas and the ideals that I was firmly committed to.

VOA: What is the best hope for Lindh?

Morton: Lindh is free to believe whatever he wants to, but we need to develop mechanisms as a society that make sure there can be no consequence to his sustained beliefs. At times, that may require law enforcement monitoring if it is determined that he is a risk to mobilize to violence (or something of the sort). When you have a comprehensive approach to countering violent extremism, then you can address all components of this dynamic problem. Nevertheless, it is most likely that Lindh will simply move on with his life and disappear from the public eye. Let’s hope so. We’re certainly not prepared if that is not the case.

VOA: Since the attacks of 9/11, several hundred former jihadists have been prosecuted and imprisoned in this country, and a few dozen have been released in recent years. What do you know about what has happened with them?

Morton: Most of those that have been released so far have actually been deported. Most of the people that have been released have also been the lowest-risk levels. So, we haven’t seen those that have been arrested for attempts to carry out an actual attack. The committed jihadists are coming over the next … series of years — about 70 to 90 individuals will come home over the next four or five years. And some of them are likely pretty important and influential individuals that are very different than those that have been released so far. But most of them are just living life and trying to move on. … And we’ve witnessed a few individuals do some pretty amazing work upon their return.

VOA: Is the country prepared to help reintegrate those individuals who will be released in the coming years?

Morton: No. We have no funding for any such initiative, and there’s not much of a commitment on behalf of the government. And we can’t do much about it, unfortunately.

Others opinions are his own and not that of  authors opinions are his own and not that of SOF SOF. VOA news is government funded independent news wire.