'Detainee 001': Who is John Walker Lindh? How a US citizen became 'American Taliban'
The story of John Walker Lindh also known as the 'American Taliban' is an interesting one and will be the subject of discussion in Showtime's latest documentary, 'Detainee 001'. The Greg Barker-directed documentary slated to release in September will feature never-before-seen footage of his capture and interrogations. He was captured along with Taliban fighters in 2001 during the Afghanistan war.
And while we wait for 'Detainee 001' to release, you can have a look at some of these documentaries in the meantime: 'Ringside', 'Basketball County: In the Water', 'Citizen Bio' and 'UFO'.
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Who is John Walker Lindh?
Lindh was born a US citizen in 1981 to a corporate lawyer and grew up in the Californian suburbs. He traveled to Yemen in 1998 to study Arabic and enrolled at a religious school in Pakistan. He joined the paramilitary training camp in 2001 and was also attracted to the religious creed of the Taliban. He traveled alongside the ultraconservative political and religious faction to fight against the Northern Alliance — an anti-Taliban coalition.
In November 2001, the fighters along with Lindh surrendered to the Northern Alliance and were held at the Qala-e Janghi fortress outside Mazār-e Sharīf. The man was wounded in the thigh and spend nearly a week trapped in the basement of the fortress. He was later transferred to US custody where he was held and interrogated at US bases in Afghanistan. He was moved to the country in 2002 where he plead guilty to charges of conspiring to kill US citizens and aiding a terrorist organization. His lawyers claimed he was subjected to torture.
He also plead guilty to charges of supplying his services to the Taliban and eventually agreed to drop his claims of being tortured while in custody. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released n 2019 after his sentence was cut short by three years for good behavior. Lindh's release drew flak on a global level despite being announced that he would be closely monitored. As per a CNN report, he is reportedly living in Virginia after his release.
'Detainee 001' synopsis
The official synopsis reads: "In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan with the mission of identifying, infiltrating, and eliminating terrorist networks. Public attention was riveted on the capture of John Walker Lindh, a radical mujahideen fighter who became known as “the American Taliban.” Through never-before-seen footage of his capture and interrogations, Emmy-winning director Greg Barker harrowingly explores how America grapples with justice in the fog of war and how narratives are built and destroyed in the aftermath of battle."
'Detainee 001' releases on September 10 at 9 pm ET/PT on Showtime.