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Home Page > News > John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, seeks Irish citizenship - POLL

John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, seeks Irish citizenship - POLL

Irish American likely to settle in Ireland on his release if given citizenship

JAMES O'BRIEN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, February 9, 2012, 7:24 AM

Updated Thursday, February 9, 2012, 11:49 AM

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John Walker Lindh pictured in Dublin

Photo by Broadsheet.ie

IrishCentral.com Poll

He continued, “John received infantry training at a government-run military training camp. But the training camp was funded by Osama bin Laden…John actually saw Osama bin Laden and met him on one occasion. He came away from those encounters very skeptical about bin Laden because John recognized instantly that bin Laden was not an authentic Islamic scholar based on what John himself knows.”

John Walker Lindh was captured in Takhar province in late November 2001.

John was spotted and removed from the body of prisoners for questioning. The moment was recorded on video and later seen by millions on television.

In the video, Lindh sits mutely on the ground as he is questioned about his nationality by a CIA agent Mike Spann later killed by the Taliban.

"Irish? Ireland?" Spann asks.

Walker remains silent.

As shown on British Channel 4 news, Spann then asks Lindh, "Are you a member of the IRA?

"Who brought you here?… You believe in what you are doing that much, you're willing to be killed here?" Spann asks.

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merefalow | Apr 26, 2012, 06:54 PM EDT

i would be very carefull about giving sanctuary to a person who supported a form of government who encouraged female genital circumcision,denied the rights of women,had no conception of democracy,and betrayed his own countrymen,sounds like a religious nut to me,should feel quite at home in ireland.

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merefalow | Feb 12, 2012, 04:21 PM EST

brill.bring the whole bloody tribe over,shites,sunny,s,binliners,alibaba and the 40 thieves,.

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gobdawpaddy | Feb 12, 2012, 06:49 AM EST

'Im sure youre benefiting just as much from our low corporate tax rate as much as your employees are from a wage'. Absolutely Ciara, that's how commerce works. Would you prefer that I relocate to eastern europe where my salary costs would be much lower etc. Ireland's corporate tax rate is indeed very attractive but why the resentment at those who use it to their benefit, employing Irish workers in the process?

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seanomelb | Feb 12, 2012, 12:55 AM EST

exactly Ciara that's what makes us Irish with DNA going back way beyond the 1000yrs old country of your imagination.

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ciaradexy | Feb 11, 2012, 05:12 PM EST

Just like we didnt suddenly appear in Ireland as a completely homogenous race of people! So the language IS something that evolved over a hell of a lot of years via various cultural interactions?

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seanomelb | Feb 11, 2012, 04:53 PM EST

Like your 1000yr old Ireland ciara you are not going back far enough in fact it can be traced back as far as India,it did'nt suddenly appear in Greece.

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ciaradexy | Feb 11, 2012, 12:00 PM EST

Gobdaw, hooligan is American and I think he is just being sarcastic. Stop being so paranoid man! If you have a company or business here Im sure youre benefiting just as much from our low corporate tax rate as much as your employees are from a wage.

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gobdawpaddy | Feb 11, 2012, 10:14 AM EST

Hooli, 02/09 4.46PM EST, 'we don't want any of those nasty Americans living in Ireland'. I hope Enda, Eamonn and Bill aren't reading this and they doing their best just 2 days ago to attract US investment into Ireland. I hope none of the dozen or so Americans working for me at our Irish location aren't reading this. Am I to take it that the Irish only want our dollars, but our people are not welcome? Perhaps if the climate is as you have expressed (ant-american), my American crew should pack their bags, shut down the operation and let our 117, well paid, Irish employees join the unemployment line?

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gobdawpaddy | Feb 11, 2012, 09:48 AM EST

Wasn't it only a few years ago that Ireland's fianna fail led government were selling Irish passports. Some very dubious people got their hands on them including a brother of Osama Bin Laden, who had invested in Kerry airport.

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Curitiba | Feb 11, 2012, 06:03 AM EST

Ha, ha, that's funny Ciara!

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FLstormorphan | Feb 10, 2012, 10:47 PM EST

INNOCENT, Lindh is innocent. Cheney, Bush and Chertoff should be in prison for their wars of choice in Afghanistan and Iraq and crimes against humanity. The Bush administration violated Lindh’s constitutional rights by silencing him. Was Lindh silenced because of the massacre at Mazar-e-Sharif? What did he know, what did the Bush administration hide? Thousands of dead shot and killed in semi-tractor trailer trucks as they called out for air by American troops their blood running out of the trailers buried in a mass grave. There is an outstanding Irish documentary on the subject ‘Afghan Massacre’. Lindh was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. The U. S. military tortured him, denied medical care for his wounds and kept him naked in a freezing container. I hope he can find his freedom in Ireland away from American war criminals. American media labeled him ‘American Taliban’ the truth was never published until the documentary. Shame on my country for war crimes to benefit war profiteers and this injustice.

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ciaradexy | Feb 10, 2012, 06:45 PM EST

Ah family, cant live with them, cant kill them!

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Curitiba | Feb 10, 2012, 06:34 PM EST

anyway, our co-ethnic Abu should be given Irish Citizenship, Like it or not, he is part of the Irish family. You can choose your friends, but not your family!

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ciaradexy | Feb 10, 2012, 06:17 PM EST

It was 100% part of Irish culture to take babies away from their mothers just as it was to put these women into Magdelane laundries. As an adopted person, this is a part of a thankfully, long gone Irish culture that I hold very close to my heart.

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ciaradexy | Feb 10, 2012, 06:14 PM EST

Its not my interpretation, its true! Its all an adaptation! On your point re culture. My granny has told me in conversation that endemic child abuse was part of the culture here just like a preference for male children is part of the culture in certain parts of the world. In other parts of the world, bear bating, forced marriages and female circumcision is part of the culture so not all culture is cause for celebration.

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