WELFARE AND WHEREABOUTS VISIT TO AMCIT DETAINEE

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 004450 SIPDIS SENSITIVE CA/OCS/ACS/NESA, NEA/I, CT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC PTER PHUM MOPS IZ SUBJECT: WELFARE AND WHEREABOUTS VISIT TO AMCIT DETAINEE SHAWKI OMAR REF: A. THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE ALBEIT UNCLASSIFIED ¶B. AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (SBU) In coordination with the Consular Section and CA/OCS, Pol-MilOff met on October 27th with detained American citizen Shawki Omar (aka "al- Ameriki") at the Baghdad Central Correctional Facility at Abu Ghraib. Mr. Omar, who had requested the visit, was in good health. Pol-MilOff passed a list of Iraqi lawyers, as he is likely to face criminal charges in Iraqi court. MNF-I will facilitate access to counsel when and if Mr. Omar is charged. ¶2. (SBU) Mr. Omar signed a privacy waiver authorizing the Department to release information regarding his situation to members of his family, congress, the press, and the general public; this authorization has been passed to the Consul General at Post. He had no messages to pass at the time of interview. ¶3. (SBU) Mr. Omar had no complaints about his current treatment; he did, however allege unspecified abuse at the point of capture and during initial interrogation by MNF-I and the FBI. Pol-MilOff passed this fact to MNF-I, which has previously investigated the same allegations and concluded that they are unfounded. ¶4. (SBU) NOTE: American security internees in Iraq are not, in MNF-I's understanding, subject to consular visitation, as all are held by US forces. However MNF- I has offered Post assistance in making welfare-and- whereabouts visits to American citizens, and we will continue to do so whenever possible. END NOTE. Satterfield