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Second American Taliban on U.S. soil

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Suspected Taliban loyalist Yasser Hamdi, center  


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A military plane carrying suspected Taliban loyalist and U.S.-born Yasser Hamdi arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, near Washington D.C. about 12:15 p.m. Friday.

Hamdi left Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Friday morning on its way to the United States, CNN has learned.

Hamdi, 22, left Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Friday morning aboard a military C-130 around 7 a.m. EST. From Dulles, Hamdi was to be transferred to Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, officials said. There he will be kept under military guard at the base's brig.

U.S. officials said the initial landing site establishes jurisdiction for a federal court in Virginia to consider any potential charges against him.

He is suspected of having ties to fighters who supported the now-ousted Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Officials said Hamdi apparently holds dual U.S. and Saudi citizenship, which could complicate decisions on how to proceed with his case.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said Thursday it is "way too soon to speculate" on what charges, if any, Hamdi would face.

Hamdi was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Saudi parents. The family moved back to Saudi Arabia when Hamdi was still a toddler.

Officials said they were looking into whether his alleged fighting for the Taliban would be reason to revoke the U.S. citizenship.

Hamdi was picked up after the prison uprising last fall at Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. Authorities are "trying to get as much information as possible" from him, hoping he might be able to tell them something that would help prevent future terrorist attacks, Clarke said.

An American accused of fighting with the Taliban, John Walker Lindh, was also captured at Mazar-e Sharif. He was later transferred to Virginia, where he is facing charges of aiding terrorists and conspiring to murder Americans.



 
 
 
 







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