Hussein Azzam

Born in Palestine, Hussein Azzam was a former prisoner held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. He was released in 2004, two years after his capture, without charge and returned home to his family. The cousin of noted scholar Abdullah Azzam, Azzam studied Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and received his Masters degree before returning to Palestine, where he had trouble finding work as a teacher in... more

Born in Palestine, Hussein Azzam was a former prisoner held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. He was released in 2004, two years after his capture, without charge and returned home to his family. The cousin of noted scholar Abdullah Azzam, Azzam studied Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and received his Masters degree before returning to Palestine, where he had trouble finding work as a teacher in the West Bank. In 1985 he moved to Peshawar, Pakistan, as he heard that the country had begun setting up schools for the refugees flooding in from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He remained as a teacher in the region through the 2001 American invasion of Afghanistan, but was not targeted by any forces and reported that he felt no fear as he had no connection to local militants. Azzam's home was raided by Pakistani forces on May 25 2002, and he was arrested along with his two sons, the 23-year old Abdullah and 18-year old Muhammad. The... less