Safia Benaouda
Encyclopedia
Safie Benaouda is a citizen of Sweden
who had fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.
Safie is the daughter of the head of Muslim Council of Sweden
Helena Benaouda.
In an interview with Raymond Bonner
of the International Herald Tribune
Benaouda said she and her fiance fellow Swede Munir Awad
had traveled to Dubai
, on vacation, but were disappointed at how commercialized facilities for tourists were.
So they traveled to Somalia
to see a more traditional Muslim culture.
They arrived in Somalia shortly before it was invaded by Kenya
.
Benaouda described an American
woman dying in her arms, and described caring for her three children until they were captured.
She said the soldiers who captured her were led by three Americans.
She said that her interrogations, in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia
, were overseen by Americans.
According to the International Herald Tribune the American woman who died was the wife of Daniel Maldonado
, an American suspected of undertaking military training at an Afghan training camp
.
According to the International Herald Tribune the American woman died of malaria
.
On August 20, 2009 the pair and their young child were apprehended in Pakistan, together with fellow Swede Mehdi Ghezali
, and nine other non-Pakistanis.
Ghezali is reported to have told authorities that they were traveling to Lahore
to participate in a Tablighi Jamaat
conference.
Mohammad Rizwan
, the chief of police of Dera Ghazi Khan
, who captured the individuals, has told the press that their luggage included a laptop computer, $10,000 USD and a suicide belt.
On September 17, 2009 Swedish newspaper The Local reported sources close to the Pakistani authorities said that Benaouda was not a suspected terrorist, and that she and her child could expect release soon.
The Local reported that none of the Swedes had been granted consular access to Swedish diplomats.
On September 25, 2009 some Swedish newspapers reported that Benaouda had been released by Pakistani security officials.
On September 27, 2009 The Local reported that reports of her Benaouda's release were unconfirmed.
On September 29, 2009 The Local reported that Pakistani officials said Benaouda had been offered release several times, but had refused to be released if her husband remained in detention.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
who had fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.
Safie is the daughter of the head of Muslim Council of Sweden
Muslim Council of Sweden
The Muslim Council of Sweden is an umbrella organisation of Islamic organisations in Sweden. It was founded in 1990 by representatives of the United Islamic Parishes in Sweden and the Muslim Association of Sweden ....
Helena Benaouda.
In an interview with Raymond Bonner
Raymond Bonner
Raymond Bonner has been an investigative reporter and foreign correspondent for The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. He has also been a staff writer at The New Yorker and contributed to The New York Review of Books...
of the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
Benaouda said she and her fiance fellow Swede Munir Awad
Munir Awad
Munir Awad is a Lebanon-born citizen of Sweden who has fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.Munir Awad, and his fiancee, Safia Benaouda , were captured when Kenya forces, with United States support, invaded Somalia.The pair describe being held in extrajudicial detention...
had traveled to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, on vacation, but were disappointed at how commercialized facilities for tourists were.
So they traveled to Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
to see a more traditional Muslim culture.
They arrived in Somalia shortly before it was invaded by Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Benaouda described an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman dying in her arms, and described caring for her three children until they were captured.
She said the soldiers who captured her were led by three Americans.
She said that her interrogations, in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, were overseen by Americans.
According to the International Herald Tribune the American woman who died was the wife of Daniel Maldonado
Daniel Maldonado
Daniel Maldonado, also known by his adopted Muslim name Daniel Aljughaifi, is a U.S. convert to a fundamentalist Islam who faces charges for an alleged association with terrorism.Maldonado converted to Islam in 2000 in Methuen, Massachusetts....
, an American suspected of undertaking military training at an Afghan training camp
Afghan training camp
An Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
.
According to the International Herald Tribune the American woman died of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
On August 20, 2009 the pair and their young child were apprehended in Pakistan, together with fellow Swede Mehdi Ghezali
Mehdi Ghezali
Mehdi Muhammed Ghezali , in media previously known as the Cuba-Swede , is a Swedish citizen of Algerian and Finnish descent who was held as what the United States termed an unlawful combatant at the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba between January 2002 and July 2004...
, and nine other non-Pakistanis.
Ghezali is reported to have told authorities that they were traveling to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to participate in a Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
conference.
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is a field hockey player from Pakistan.-2010:Rizwan took part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India where the team placed 6th. In November, he was chosen as a member of the team for the Asian Games in China later that month, which went on to win the gold...
, the chief of police of Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
, who captured the individuals, has told the press that their luggage included a laptop computer, $10,000 USD and a suicide belt.
On September 17, 2009 Swedish newspaper The Local reported sources close to the Pakistani authorities said that Benaouda was not a suspected terrorist, and that she and her child could expect release soon.
The Local reported that none of the Swedes had been granted consular access to Swedish diplomats.
On September 25, 2009 some Swedish newspapers reported that Benaouda had been released by Pakistani security officials.
On September 27, 2009 The Local reported that reports of her Benaouda's release were unconfirmed.
On September 29, 2009 The Local reported that Pakistani officials said Benaouda had been offered release several times, but had refused to be released if her husband remained in detention.