Ex-Terror Detainee Says U.S. Tortured Him

(CBS)  At the age of 19, Murat Kurnaz vanished into America's shadow prison system in the war on terror. He was from Germany, traveling in Pakistan, and was picked up three months after 9/11. But there seemed to be ample evidence that Kurnaz was an innocent man with no connection to terrorism. The FBI thought so, U.S. intelligence thought so, and German intelligence agreed. But once he was picked up, Kurnaz found himself in a prison system that required no evidence and answered to no one.

The story Kurnaz told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is a rare look inside that clandestine system of justice, where the government's own secret files reveal that an innocent man lost his liberty, his dignity, his identity, and ultimately five years of his life.

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60 Minutes found Murat Kurnaz in Bremen, Germany, where he was born and raised. His parents emigrated there from Turkey. His father works in the Mercedes factory. Kurnaz wasn't particularly religious growing up, but in 2001 he was marrying a Turkish girl who was. And he decided to learn more about Islam.

"I didn't know how to pray. I didn't know anything," Kurnaz says. "So I had to study more about Islam so I could go to the mosque and pray."

In Bremen, he met Islamic missionaries who urged him to go to Pakistan for study. As he was planning the trip, 9/11 happened. He told 60 Minutes he was horrified by the attacks, and had never heard of al Qaeda. He decided to go ahead with his trip anyway.

"You went to Pakistan several weeks after 9/11," Pelley remarks. "Did you begin to think that that wasn't a great idea?"

"Today, I know it wasn't a great idea," Kurnaz says.

Kurnaz told 60 Minutes his story using the English that he learned from his American guards. If he seems a little distant, reserved, you'll understand why as his story unfolds. It begins in 2001, when he was at the end of that trip to Pakistan. He was headed to the airport to fly home to Germany when his bus was stopped at a routine checkpoint.

"They stopped the bus and because of my color, I'm much more different than Pakistani guys," says Kurnaz, who is lighter-skinned. "He looked into the bus and he knocked on my window."

"He" was a Pakistani cop who pulled Kurnaz off the bus. The reason Kurnaz was singled out may always be a mystery. But at the time, the U.S. was paying bounties for suspicious foreigners. Kurnaz, who'd been rambling across Pakistan with Islamic pilgrims, seemed to fit the bill. Kurnaz says that he was told that U.S. intelligence paid $3,000 for him. He ended up bound and shackled on an American military plane.

"I was sure soon as they would find out I'm not a terrorist, they will apologize for it and let me go back home," he says.

But the plane flew him out of Pakistan and to a U.S. base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was mixed with prisoners fresh off the battlefield. His new identity was "number 53." He was kept in an outdoor pen, in sub-freezing weather and interrogated daily.

"They asked me, 'Where is Osama bin Laden,' and if I am from al Qaeda or from Taliban. Questions like that. I told them, 'I don't know where is Osama bin Laden, I never saw him and I don't know anything about al Qaeda. I don't know what it is.' And I spent all my time in Pakistan," he says.

Asked what happened next, Kurnaz says, "I told them just they can call Germany to ask who I am and they can ask anybody in Germany who I am."

Back in Germany, Bremen police were investigating, and what they were hearing made matters worse: Kurnaz's worried mother told them her son had recently become more religious, had grown a beard and was attending a new mosque; schoolmates said that Kurnaz might have been headed to Afghanistan.

"It was just guessing, just fear, no more. But the fear turns into a fact," says attorney Bernhard Docke, who was hired by Kurnaz's mother.

He says there was no reason to suspect Kurnaz knew anything about al Qaeda. But this was weeks after 9/11 and some of the hijackers had been living in Hamburg. "And so close after 9/11, and close after Germany realized that 9/11 started with the Hamburg cell in Germany, everybody in the secret services got crazy," Docke says.

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[funniegurl]

I am ashamed to say I am an American. Why would I want to say I am from a country who beats people and mistreat them? America can be better than that. And **** you whoever said if you are so ashmaed then move. Ya know, I'm not going to move. I am going to be one of those people in America that change it. I'm gonna make it better and stand up for what I believe in. NO man or woman deserve that kind of treatment. I can't help but think of all those little *****'s the middle-east torturing and starving people. This could happen to ANYONE the government sees fit. That's horrible. We need more people to stand up to the "Patriot Act". It serves no purpose. You cannot take away people's freedoms in exchange for security. It causes distrust in the u.s. government by american citizens and mistrus among each other. It's sad. It's McCarthyism all over again? when will our so-called "leaders" realize we are repeating history all over again? Ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell? Yeah, it's called big brother and the government is a tolitarian government, much of like the u.s. is a fascist government now, not a federalist republic democracy. got a problem with me? email me. [e-mail]. i would certainly like to hear people's excuse as to how america's government is in the right and then i will laugh for whoever believes it. sickening.

[herceclipse11]

This is crap everyone knows we tortured this man and many others under false accusations i hope canada really does arrest bush for war crimes he is a lying piece of crap who deserves the firing squad. If u watch the movie about the british men that had proof that they werent terrorist yet were held for 4 years and all the gov had to do was call the brittish goverment to see they were arrested for being drunk and disorderly in public at the times they were supposed to have attacked or been involved in attack yet they didnt care sent a american soldier impersenating a british intelligence officer this is bull bush needs the firing squad and all u people out there who think he did even a bit of good need to be shot as well he did nothing for the american people he only cared about himself and those who he was making money with or from there is so much evidence that he is the worst kind of human being ever on this freaking planet yet racist money hungry pieces of crap seem to still support him God bless canada and I really hope they arrest this piece of worthless scum and throw away the key he is just as bad as hitler if he could get away with killing as many people and trying to commit genocide he would he is hitler reborn now many would look at my comments as outlandish but if u actually do ur research instead of having ur head up your butt u would see the truth as almost every real american does i am also ashamed to be an american as for dwolfe_87 I am seeking residence elsewher cause we are not free at all are goverment can listen in on are calls whenever they want even when we are not on are phones that is crap we have no freedom contrary to what everyonemay believe and if people actually did research they would believe the same thing f are government maybe it will get better but bush made us the one of the worst coutries ever are governmetn i one big lie and i am also ashamed to be an american for are government cares about nothing but money...!!!

[herceclipse11]

Once another abuse of powere I totally support are troops it is not there decision on what they do if they do not torture or treat innocent prisoners horribly they will alsoi be arrested and treated this same way all are government does is lie and lie some more we are not free are government is a big piece of crap who lies to make money overall on an unjust unresonable law anyone who agrees with what has happened to them and who thinks are goverment was right deserves to burn this is an abuse of power bush and those who control him are the ones who made these attacks possible it was bush and his friends who attacked the towers not the terrorist research for 5 seconds and ther eis so much evidence it was done only for money this is an abuse of power bush and his friends need a firing squad!!!!!

[bigsargent]

Negative!...We did our job and came when our country called,no matter what our mixed feelings were,We left our homes and families,to take up the mantle,after your fellow 3000+ americans,your neighbors,went down in flames in the towers,we aren''t the type to wait and see who''s winning before we act,We are doers not watchers,and maybe if more young people were raised with a sense of honor and selfless duty,be it military or peace corp,us 50 yr olds wouldn''t have to go,I didn''t vote for Bush,but I went to support my fellow soldier,make sure their heads were in the game,and to keep emotions in check,but I will take YOUR apology! Thank you

[emil321]

You guys owe him an apology :|

[bigsargent]

So...I knew "The Viking" as we called him,I was a block Sergeant at Gitmo,I can honestly say I never saw him tortured as he claims,maybe it happened before I got there ..I can''t say,I will say,though,He was well treated by me and my MP''s,He was given much respect because he didn''t cause trouble or try to harm the MP''s,We had a conversation,about justice once(I''m quite abit older than most GI''s)And I told him I don''t know if he is guilty or innocent,I''m not here to judge him,I''m here to take care of him till he is found guilty or innocent,right now you are a detainee,I said I hope for the most part some of you guys are innocent,you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,he seemed satisfied with that answer,and because sometimes he was a model detainee,if he asked for extra bread or fruit at mealtime,I didn''t mind giving it to him...but really the media is going to make all these guys guilty or innocent,millionaires..by false accusations the Media has gaurenteed that The USA will be wearing the scarlet letter,the mark of Cain for years,right now I''m sitting on the front line in Iraq,do I need to be here?probably not,but thats my decision,I''m here for my guys,and I question how the media has changed since WW2,it used to be loose lips sink ships,now lets see who can give the enemy the most info in the shortest time,lets shock those back home...if We had the media back then that we have now,I truly beleive we would be wearing black shirts with red armbands

[dwolfe_87]

cbs and 60 minutes should be ashamed of themselves for airing that story. i''m not saying that i don''t care about the way soldiers are treated here in the U.S. Im aware that the U.S. should be setting an example for the rest f the world, but on the other, this is no different than the tactics that are goin on overseas in the war on terror. our soldiers are getting beheaded and all sorts of other cruel things that we don''t hear about on the news. this show aired immediately after a breaking news headline, which read "local soldier matt maupin remains found". he had been missing for some time and nobody knew what happened to him. so in the future, cbs should strongly consider not airing anti-american shows. AND ONE MORE THING: iPlan4u, IF YOU ARE SO ASHAMED TO BE AN AMERICAN, YOU SHOULD SEEK RESIDENTS ELSEWHERE.

[iplan4u]

Your story about the plight of Murat Kurnaz is startling but, under the circumstances created by the Bush/Cheney cabal, not suprising. Their actions, and this case in particular, have brought shame to the United States, and makes me ashamed to be an American.

[gandy1941]

Thank you for the courage to air this story. Our freedom of speech must not be reserved for only the good things about America, but the bad as well. How can we hope to work for liberty and justice for all if we are not allowed to hear anything but news about our good deeds?

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by earthlives at 08:40 AM

An innocent man gets tortured, and you couldn''t be happier. Go post on FOX News you dweeb!