Mamdouh Habib

Mamdouh Habib (born 3 June 1955) is an Egyptian and Australian citizen with dual nationality, best known for having been held for more than three years by the United States as an enemy combatant, by both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and military authorities.

He was sent by extraordinary rendition from Pakistan to Egypt after his arrest.

He was held the longest at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp as an enemy combatant.

Mamdouh Habib was born on 3 June 1955 in Alexandria, Egypt, where he grew up in a Muslim family.

He moved at the age of 24 to Australia in 1980, to join his older brother and sister, who had settled there and urged him to come.

He lived and worked in Sydney and became a citizen.

Through his brother's wife, he met her sister, Maha.

They married and have had four children, including twin sons.

He worked running a coffee shop and also taught classes and students in Islam.

He is a dual citizen of Egypt and Australia.

He also worked as a taxi driver.

Arrested after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 during a trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Habib was interrogated there by Pakistani and United States CIA agents before being shipped to Egypt, where he was held for six months and interrogated under torture.

The CIA transferred him back to a black site in Afghanistan for more torture and interrogation, then to US military custody.

The United States accused Habib of having had knowledge of the 11 September 2001 attacks, training the hijackers, staying at an al-Qaeda safe house in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance, helping to transfer chemical weapons, and planning to hijack the aircraft used in the 11 September attacks.

He confessed to many acts under torture, but there was no evidence to support these claims.

With legal support, Habib filed for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge his detention.

In the fall of 2001, Habib was arrested in Pakistan.

He was held for what was a total of more than three years.

In 2002 Habib was transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

He continued to be held without charges and suffered coercive interrogation.

His case of Habib v. Bush was one of two consolidated under Rasul v. Bush (2004).

The United States Supreme Court ruled in it that US courts had jurisdiction over Guantanamo and that detainees had the right to challenge their detentions in US courts.

Finally released without charges in January 2005, Habib struggled to have his account of his experiences believed, as he alleged he had been tortured by the CIA, Egyptians, and US military, at times with Australian intelligence officers present.

For some time, each of the governments denied his allegations, but they have gradually been confirmed.

Following an article in The Washington Post about Habib's being taken by extraordinary rendition and held secretly in Egypt, the United States decided to release him without charges in January 2005.

After Habib returned to Australia in January 2005, officials eventually acknowledged that he "knew nothing about terrorism".

Habib filed suit against the Australian government for cooperating with the United States in his detention and coercive interrogations.

After being released in January 2005 without charge by the United States and returned to Australia, Habib encountered difficulties: his passport was revoked and even in 2006, he could not obtain one.

The government advised him he would be under surveillance and was still considered a risk.

Habib told his account numerous times to media: he said that he had been interrogated about supposed terrorist activities while under torture in Pakistan, taken to Egypt and interrogated under torture there, transferred to United States military custody in Afghanistan, and transported to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he suffered extended solitary confinement, more interrogation and torture.

He said that Australian officers had been present at some of these occasions.

After the Australian government was notified of his detention in Guantanamo, he was interrogated there by an ASIO agent, who he says threatened him and his family.

The torture and Australian witness were denied by the respective governments, and Egypt denied he had been held in the country.

He filed suit against the Australian government for cooperating in his detention and treatment.

Later, in 2007, Habib entered politics.

In November 2008, Habib published a memoir co-written with Julia Collingwood, My Story: The Tale of a Terrorist Who Wasn't, detailing his experiences.

In December 2010, an Egyptian official confirmed Habib's account of his torture in Egypt having been witnessed by an Australian officer, whom he named.

The Australian government made an out-of-court settlement in the suit by Habib.

In December 2010, an Egyptian officer confirmed his story of coercive interrogation in Egypt, with an Australian witness, and said the sessions had been videotaped.

Soon after that, the Australian government settled with Habib in a confidential settlement out-of-court, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in February 2011.