William Jefferson (United Nations employee)
Encyclopedia
William Jefferson was an American librarian and United Nations
employee who was killed while serving in Bosnia.
Jefferson was found shot to death near Banovići
Bosnia.
His killing was originally described as a criminal act, connected with robbing him of his valuables. American counter-terrorism officials were later to imply it was an act of terrorism.
Jefferson was from Camden, New Jersey
.
Jefferson started working for the U.N. in its Dag Hammarskjöld Library
in 1982.
In 1992 he volunteered to serve on overseas U.N. missions, first serving in Somalia
.
Joe Sills, a U.N. spokesmen stated:
A week later the New York Times reported: "United Nations officials strongly suspect that he was killed by the mujahedeen, who may have mistaken him for a British citizen."
Jefferson was a Librarian at the U.N., who volunteered take leave to serve in Bosnia.
American counter-terrorism officials were later to class the killing as a terrorist attack.
Saudi Arabia
n Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair
is alleged to have played a role in his killing. When he was captured Zuhair was said to have had Jefferson's watch in his possession.
Zuhair's attorneys have pointed out that Zuhair was never charged in connection with the killing, despite extensive investigations by the UN, FBI, and Bosnian authorities. Bosnian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Fa‘iz al-Shanbari in 1998 in relation to the shooting.
The UN's 200-page investigation made no mention of Zuhair.
Zuhair was cleared for release by the Bush administration and finally repatriated to Saudi Arabia on June 12, 2009.
During a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 17, 2009, Attorney General
Eric Holder
publicly admitted that Zuhair had been cleared for transfer from Guantanamo by both administrations because "there was no sufficient proof" linking him to the Jefferson killing.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
employee who was killed while serving in Bosnia.
Jefferson was found shot to death near Banovići
Banovici
Banovići is a town and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The intensive development of Banovići begins with construction of the railway Brčko-Banovići in the year 1946. Due to its quality, brown coal from Banovići is well-known all over Europe.-Geography:Banovići Municipality is...
Bosnia.
His killing was originally described as a criminal act, connected with robbing him of his valuables. American counter-terrorism officials were later to imply it was an act of terrorism.
Jefferson was from Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
.
Jefferson started working for the U.N. in its Dag Hammarskjöld Library
Dag Hammarskjöld Library
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library is part of the United Nations headquarters and is connected to the Secretariat and conference buildings through ground level and underground corridors. It is named after Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations.The Library has specialized in...
in 1982.
In 1992 he volunteered to serve on overseas U.N. missions, first serving in 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...
.
Joe Sills, a U.N. spokesmen stated:
|
A week later the New York Times reported: "United Nations officials strongly suspect that he was killed by the mujahedeen, who may have mistaken him for a British citizen."
Jefferson was a Librarian at the U.N., who volunteered take leave to serve in Bosnia.
American counter-terrorism officials were later to class the killing as a terrorist attack.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair
Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair
Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair is a citizen of Saudi Arabia formerly held in extrajudicial detention in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.On August 13, 2008 it was reported that Ahmed Zaid Zuhair had been on a hunger strike since June 2005....
is alleged to have played a role in his killing. When he was captured Zuhair was said to have had Jefferson's watch in his possession.
Zuhair's attorneys have pointed out that Zuhair was never charged in connection with the killing, despite extensive investigations by the UN, FBI, and Bosnian authorities. Bosnian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Fa‘iz al-Shanbari in 1998 in relation to the shooting.
The UN's 200-page investigation made no mention of Zuhair.
Zuhair was cleared for release by the Bush administration and finally repatriated to Saudi Arabia on June 12, 2009.
During a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 17, 2009, Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
publicly admitted that Zuhair had been cleared for transfer from Guantanamo by both administrations because "there was no sufficient proof" linking him to the Jefferson killing.