‘American Taliban’ Walker Lindh released as Afghan war still boils

WASHINGTON: John Walker Lindh, the US Muslim convert who came to be known as the “American Taliban” after being captured while fighting in Afghanistan in 2001, was released from prison Thursday after serving 17 years, US media reported.

CNN and The Washington Post reported his early morning release from the federal high security prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, quoting his lawyer, Bill Cummings.

Cummings told CNN that 38-year-old Lindh, still suspected by some of harbouring radical Islamic views, will settle in Virginia under strict probation terms that limit his ability to go online or contact other Islamists.

Known as “Detainee 001” in the US War on Terror, Lindh´s early release on an original 20-year sentence has resurrected memories of the September 11 attacks, when he became for many Americans one of the faces of the jihadist threat against the United States.

But his release also underscores the fact that, almost two decades later, the US remains mired in a fight with the Taliban with no end in sight.

Other than that he will settle in Virginia, the state abutting the US capital Washington, there was no information about Lindh’s plans.

His family, which lives near San Francisco, California, has not recently commented on his case and could not immediately be contacted Thursday.

His release comes amid concerns that he may not have abandoned support for hardline Islamic thinking while incarcerated.

In a letter this week to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, two senators asked how his alleged threat would be contained, citing unproven allegations that he "openly" supports extremist violence.

“We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh,” they said.