Uzair Paracha (born January 7, 1980) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

citizen previously convicted of providing material support to

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

by a

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 2005. He received a 30-year prison sentence which was voided 18 years later, with his judge stating that letting his conviction stand was a "manifest injustice". In March 2020 the American government gave up on taking Uzair to trial again and he was released and repatriated after being imprisoned for 17 years.

Early life

He is the son of

Saifullah Paracha Saifullah Abdullah Paracha (born August 17, 1947) is a citizen of Pakistan who was held without charge in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba for over 18 years. He was released on October 29, 2022. As of May 18, 2021, Sai ...

, a

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

citizen who was held by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. Uzair was born in Pakistan on January 7, 1980. His mother Farhat Paracha was a student of sociology at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. Uzair Paracha himself attended Rainbow Montessori school in Brooklyn sometime before age 5. As a teen he attended B. V. S. Parsi High School in Karachi, Pakistan. Paracha subsequently obtained a degree in business administration from Institute of Business Administration (IBA),

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

in 2003.

Arrest and conviction

At the time of arrest in March 2003, he was a

Permanent resident Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such l ...

of the United States. He was initially held as a material witness in the investigation against

after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. He was later charged with helping alleged al-Qaeda operative Majid Khan (Guantanamo Bay detainee 10020) obtain legal status in U.S. fraudulently, Uzair claims he did not know that Khan was an alleged al Qaeda operative. During his trial he refused a court settlement of 5 to 8 years in prison. In November 2005, he was convicted of helping Khan. In July 2006, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. He was serving his sentence at FCI Terre Haute until his conviction was deemed void.

Voided conviction

Over 15 years after his arrest, Uzair's conviction was deemed void on July 3, 2018 by Judge Sidney H. Stein based on newly discovered statements made by Ammar al-Baluchi, Majid Khan, and

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (sometimes also spelled Shaykh; also known by at least 50 pseudonyms; born 14 April 1965), often known by his initials KSM, is a terrorist, and the former head of propaganda for the pan-Islamist militant group al-Qaeda. He ...

, bringing his involvement and intentions into question. Stein, who oversaw Paracha’s trial and imposed his sentence, called it a “manifest injustice” to let the conviction stand and granted Paracha’s request, made in November 2008, for a new trial. He was freed on March 13, 2020 and willingly repatriated to Pakistan, giving up his resident status.

References

External links

Pakistani Man Convicted of Providing Material Support To al Qaeda Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison
USDOJ press release {{DEFAULTSORT:Paracha, Uzair B. V. S. Parsi High School alumni Inmates of ADX Florence Pakistani people imprisoned in the United States Institute of Business Administration, Karachi alumni Pakistani emigrants to the United States Pakistani Islamists People convicted on terrorism charges Living people 1980 births

Early life

Arrest and conviction

Voided conviction

See also

References

External links