‘American Taliban’ freed after 17 years in prison
The California man who became known as the “American Taliban” after his capture on an Afghanistan battlefield in late 2001 has been released from prison.
John Walker Lindh, 38, was released Thursday from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Lindh spent more than 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing support to the Taliban.
The plea deal called for a 20-year sentence, but Lindh is getting out a few years early for good behaviour.
His release was opposed by the family of Mike Spann, who was killed during an uprising of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan shortly after interrogating Lindh.
A judge recently imposed additional restrictions on Lindh’s post-release supervision amid concerns Lindh still harbours radical ideology. Lindh initially opposed, but eventually acquiesced to the restrictions, which include monitoring software on his internet devices and forbidding him from holding a passport of any kind or leaving the U.S.
Probation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions, but it is clear that authorities retain misgivings about Lindh. In 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Center report that Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”
Lindh’s release has drawn criticism, including from Spann’s family. His daughter, Alison Spann, called Lindh a traitor and his early release “a slap in the face.”