José Padilla (prisoner), Date of Birth, Place of Birth

José Padilla (prisoner)

American terrorist

Date of Birth: 18-Oct-1970

Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Profession: musician

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Libra

José Padilla (born October 18, 1970), also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir ( (listen) ahb-DUL-? ahl moo-HAH-jeer) or Muhajir Abdullah, is a United States citizen from Brooklyn, New York, who was convicted in federal court of aiding terrorists. Padilla was arrested in Chicago on May 8, 2002, on suspicion of plotting a radiological bomb ("dirty bomb") attack.
He was detained as a material witness until June 9, 2002, when President George W.
Bush designated him an enemy combatant and, arguing that he was not entitled to trial in civilian courts, had him transferred to a military prison in South Carolina.
Padilla was held for three and a half years as an enemy combatant.
Upon pressure and lawsuits from civil liberties groups, he was transferred to a civilian jail in 2006. In August 2007, a federal jury found him guilty of conspiring to commit murder and fund terrorism.
Government officials had earlier claimed Padilla was suspected of planning to build and explode a "dirty bomb" in the United States, but he was never charged with this crime.
He was initially sentenced to 17 years in prison, which was increased on appeal to 21 years.
His lawsuits against the military for allegedly torturing him were rejected by the courts for lack of merit and jurisdictional issues.