Guantanamo Bay Prison is one of the most feared in the US prison system, with enemy combatant prisoners and inmates held in solitary confinement and often without trial for many years, today we look at the top 10 most dangerous.
10 – Riduan Isamuddin
Accused of being the operational commander for Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian group with alleged ties to Al-Qaeda, this Indonesian citizen is also known by the name Hambali.
Isamuddin stands accused of a number of crimes including Masterminding the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, financing the 2003 Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing, involvement in the 1995 Bojinka plot and bombings in Manila and the Philippines in the year 2000.
He is also suspected of involvement the bombing of the residence of the Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia in August 2000 and co-ordinated bombings of various churches in Indonesia.
Hambali was arrested in Thailand in 2003 and subsequently held in CIA custody at various “black sites” before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
While in CIA custody, he was allegedly subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques.” and has been awaiting trial by a military commission at Guantanamo Bay since his transfer there.
9 – Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh
Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh is a Yemeni national who has been charged by a U.S. military commission with crimes including conspiracy, attacking civilians and civilian objects, murder in violation of the laws of war, and providing material support for terrorism, all in connection with the September 11th attacks.
He is alleged to have been a key facilitator for the attacks, acting as a link between the hijackers in the United States and other Al-Qaeda figures. He was reportedly a member of a group in Hamburg, Germany, that included Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah, and Marwan al-Shehhi, all of whom died in the 9/11 attacks.
Bin al-Shibh was allegedly chosen to be a hijacker pilot, but was unable to obtain a U.S. visa. He is also suspected of involvement in the 2000 USS Cole bombing and the 2002 Ghriba synagogue bombing.
Bin al-Shibh was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in September 2002 and was held in secret CIA detention facilities for four years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
In September 2023, a military judge severed his case from the others after a panel of military mental health professionals found him mentally incompetent to stand trial.
His lawyers have argued that his mental condition makes him unfit to participate meaningfully in his own defense. The prosecution against him could resume if his condition improves with treatment.
8 – Mustafa Al-Hawsawi
Charged with conspiracy, murder in violation of the laws of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, and providing material support for terrorism, Al-Hawsawi is a Saudi citizen.
According to the allegations, he worked in Al-Qaeda’s media committee and was selected to assist the 2001 hijackers with travel and finances. He allegedly helped send some of the hijackers to the U.S. and provided them with money, clothing, food, lodging, and travel arrangements.
He is also accused of receiving approximately $28,000 in unspent funds from the hijackers in early September 2001.
Mustafa al-Hawsawi was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in March 2003 and was held in secret CIA black sites for over three years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
He has been in a pre-trial phase for his case, which has been subject to multiple delays and the conditions of confinement have left him isolated and with stringent restrictions on his ability to communicate.
7 – Ammar Al-Baluchi
Ammar al-Baluchi, also known as Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, is a Pakistani citizen who has been charged with conspiracy, attacking civilians and civilian objects, murder in violation of the laws of war, and providing material support for terrorism.
U.S. officials have described him as a “key lieutenant” of his uncle, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and a “communications intermediary” for other individuals. He is also accused of plotting to crash a plane into the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
Al-Baluchi was arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2003 and subsequently held in CIA custody at various “black sites” for more than three years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
Since his transfer to Guantanamo, al-Baluchi has been awaiting trial by a military commission, however, due to post-traumatic stress disorder, his trial has been repeatedly delayed.
Plea negotiations for al-Baluchi are reportedly underway for the September 11th case, which could remove the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.
6 – Abd Al-Hadi Al-Iraqi
An Iraqi national who has been accused of leading Al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan and of involvement in plots to attack U.S. and coalition forces, Al-Iraqi has been charged with attacking protected property, and using treachery or perfidy.
The charges allege that he served as a high-ranking leader in Al-Qaeda’s senior councils, was a liaison to the Taliban, and commanded Al-Qaeda’s army in Afghanistan.
He is also accused of directing, funding, and overseeing operations against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan between 2002 and 2004. In June 2022, he pleaded guilty to some of the charges against him.
Al-Iraqi was reportedly captured in late 2006 and held in secret CIA custody for about five to six months. He was one of the last prisoners to be held in the CIA’s detention program before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2007.
Consistently assessed as being cooperative while in CIA custody, interrogators still believed he was withholding information but since his transfer to Guantanamo, his time there has been marked by health issues.
His lawyers have stated that he has a degenerative spinal condition and has been using a wheelchair and walker due to a loss of sensation in his lower legs. He has undergone several surgeries for this condition while at Guantanamo.
5 – Muhammad Rahim
Captured in Lahore, Pakistan, in June 2007 Rahim was turned over to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and has been held at Guantanamo Bay without being charged with any crime.
Accused of being a “facilitator” for Osama bin Laden, Rahim was supposedly working as his translator and assistant and helped him to escape capture on multiple occasions.
He has also been accused of having advanced knowledge of many Al-Qaeda attacks, including September 11th, and of financing, planning, and participating in attacks against U.S. and coalition targets.
Rahim was the last person to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay, having been held in Camp 7, a classified area for “high-value detainees.”
Despite the U.S. military stating that it has no intention of trying him in a military commission, he has been denied release by a parole review board.
4 – Abu Faraj Al-Libi
A Libyan national whose real name is Mustafa Faraj Muhammad Muhammad Masud al-Jadid al-Uzaybi, Al-Libi has been alleged by U.S. and Pakistani authorities to be a senior member of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence claimed he was the third in command of Al-Qaeda from 2003 until his capture in 2005.
He has been accused of being a key operational figure, an “official messenger” for Osama bin Laden, and a “director of operations.” He is also a suspect in two assassination attempts against Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf.
He was identified by Pakistani authorities as the main planner of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. Al-Libi was arrested in Mardan, Pakistan, in May 2005 and later complained of a loss of hearing after his transfer to U.S. military custody.
In 2010, the Guantanamo Review Task Force classified him as too dangerous to be transferred and he has been subject to reviews by a Periodic Review Board, which in 2016 and again in 2022, upheld his ongoing imprisonment without charge or trial.
3 – Abu Zubaydah
Considered one of the most prominent “forever prisoners” at Guantanamo Bay, Palestinian national Abu Zubaydah initially stood accused of being a high-ranking Al-Qaeda operative.
A later report concluded that he was not a member of Al-Qaeda and was not involved in the September 11th attacks but actually ran his own independent network of militants.
The U.S. has also alleged that he had prior knowledge of the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the attack on the USS Cole. He was also convicted in absentia by a Jordanian court for his role in planning attacks in Jordan.
Held for over four years in a series of secret “black sites” in countries including Thailand, Poland, and Lithuania, Zubaydah was the first detainee to be subjected to the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation program.”
Held without trial for over two decades, his legal team and human rights experts have argued that his continued detention is a violation of international law, however the U.S government insists he is to dangerous to be released.
2 – Walid Mohammed bin Attash
Charged with both conspiracy and murder, this Yemeni national is also facing charges of hijacking and terrorism in relation to direct involvement in the September 11th attacks.
U.S. prosecutors allege that he helped in the preparation of the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings and the 2000 USS Cole bombing. He is also accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden and of selecting and helping to train several of the hijackers.
Bin Attash was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in April 2003, and was held in secret CIA black sites for over three years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
His case has been in a pre-trial phase for years due to issues including the use of classified evidence and the remote location of the military commission.
In 2024, a plea deal to avoid the death penalty was reached for him and two other defendants, but was later revoked by the Secretary of Defense.
1 – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Charged with being the principal architect of the September 11th, 2001, attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a Pakistani citizen and currently considered the United States most high-value detainee.
In addition to the many charges against him, he has claimed responsibility for a number of other major terrorist plots including Operation Bojinka, The year 2000 USS Cole bombing, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Richard Reid shoe bombing incident.
Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in March 2003, about 20 kilometres southwest of Islamabad after an extensive manhunt to locate him and he was later transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.
He has admitted to the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, who went in search of the al-Qaeda network operating in Karachi and claimed that he personally committed the murder.
He has been dubbed an illegal enemy combatant after a computer hard drive seized during his capture showed photographs of the September 11 hijackers, images of passports of the same and three direct letters from Osama bin Laden.
Documents that summarized operational procedures and training requirements of an al-Qaeda cell were also discovered along with a list of killed and wounded al-Qaeda militants.
Mohammed has been tried in absentina in France for the Ghriba synagogue bombing on the Tunisian island of Djerba in 2002 which killed 14 German tourists, five Tunisians and two French nationals.
He also claimed during interrogations that if Osama bin Laden was captured or killed by the Coalition of the Willing, an al-Qaeda sleeper cell would detonate a “weapon of mass destruction” in a “secret location” in Europe, something that later proved to be false.
Other confessions include a plan to destroy the Sears Tower in Chicago, secondary attacks on the Library Tower in Los Angeles and the Willis Tower in Chicago along with plots to attack oil tankers and U.S. naval ships in the Straits of Hormuz, the Straits of Gibraltar and in Singapore.
Currently charged with 2,973 individual counts of murder, a plea deal reached on the 31st July 2024 was voided by a D.C. appeals court in July 2025, paving the way for the death penalty to once again be sought.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the most dangerous terrorists and by far the most dangerous prisoner inside Guantanamo Bay awaits his fate behind its high fences and miles of razor wire.
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