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David Hicks
Australian who trained with Al-Qaeda and was later detained at Guantanamo Bay / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Matthew Hicks (born 7 August 1975) is an Australian who attended al-Qaeda's Al Farouq training camp in Afghanistan. Hicks traveled to Pakistan after converting to Islam to learn more about the faith, eventually leading to his time in the training camp. He alleges that he was unfamiliar with al-Qaeda and had no idea that they targeted civilians. Hicks met with Osama bin Laden in 2001.
David Hicks | |
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![]() Hicks speaking in 2012 | |
Born | David Matthew Hicks (1975-08-07) 7 August 1975 (age 48)[1] |
Nationality | Australian |
Other names | Muhammed Dawood |
Citizenship |
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Spouse | Erin Keniry |
Parents |
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Military career | |
Allegiance |
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Years of service | 1999–2001 |
Battles/wars | Yugoslav Wars War in Afghanistan |
Later that year, he was captured and brought to the U.S. to be tried. He was then detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he reported undergoing torture at the hands of American soldiers, from 2002 until 2007. He was eventually convicted under the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
In 2012, his conviction was overturned because the law under which he was charged had not been passed at the time that his crimes were committed.[citation needed]