Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal Belkacem, Bensayah

UNCLASSIFIED

Combatant Status Review Board

TO:	Personal Representative
FROM:	OIC, CSRT (24 September, 2004)
Subject:	Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Belkacem, Bensayah

1.	Under the provisions of the Secretary of the Navy Memorandum, dated 29 July 2004, Implementation of Combatant Status Review Tribunal Procedures for Enemy Combatants Detained at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Cuba, a Tribunal has been appointed to review the detainee's designation as an enemy combatant.
2.	An enemy combatant has been defined as "an individual who was part of or supporting the Taliban or al Qaeda forces, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners. This includes any person who committed a belligerent act or has directly supported hostilities in aid of enemy armed forces."
3.	The United States Government has previously determined that the detainee is an enemy combatant . This determination is based on information possessed by the United States that indicates that he is an al-Qaida member.
	a. The detainee is an al Qaida member: The detainee traveled from Yemen to Bosnia-Herzegovina during November 1995. Detainee is linked to Usama Bin Laden's operational network. The detainee was in possession of Abu Zubaydah cell phone number in Afghanistan. The detainee had phone conversations with Abu Zubaydah, a senior al Qaida aide to Usama Bin Laden pertaining to procuring passports. The detainee made 70 phone calls to Afghanistan between September 11, 2001 and the time he was arrested. The detainee was being investigated under the criminal acts for international terrorism in Bosnia. The detainee was identified as the primary al Qaida facilitator in Bosnia. In late September 2001 the detainee in Bosnia Herzegovina planned to join jihadist elements in Afghanistan in anticipation of the United States/coalition invasion and encouraged other Algerians to do the same. On 1 October 2001, the detainee applied for a visa in Sarajevo, Bosnia - Herzegovina for onward travel to Afghanistan. The detainee, prior to planned departure to Iran/Afghanistan, was to assist the mid-October 2001 arrival of unidentified travelers from Afghanistan. The detainee planned to coordinate from Tehran, Iran the late October 2001 travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina of an additional 30-40 travelers from Afghanistan.
4.	The detainee has the opportunity to contest his designation as an enemy combatant. The Tribunal will endeavor to arrange for the presence of any reasonably available witnesses or evidence that the detainee desires to call or introduce to prove that he is not an enemy combatant. The Tribunal President will determine the reasonable availability of evidence or witnesses.