US Judge orders '72-hour notice' before transfer of American IS member

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A district judge in the United States on Tuesday ordered US authorities to provide a “72-hour notice” before transferring an American Islamic State (IS) member from Iraq.

The American, whose identity has not been released, was born in the US to Saudi parents.

He is reportedly a member of IS who had joined the group in Syria before surrendering himself to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last September, The Washington Post reported.

The SDF then turned the man over to the US army—who they labeled an “enemy combatant”—before he was taken to Iraq where he is currently being held without receiving any charges yet.

In December, the Trump administration was thinking about transferring the American-born Saudi to Saudi Arabia, according to The New York Times.

US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the District of Colombia did not prohibit a transfer of the suspected IS member to another country, but if he is brought back to the US, she said authorities must give a three-day notice.

The Judge added that “the government had not decided on a transfer, and could also release [the American] or bring him back to the US to face charges.”

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a claim in October “to represent and challenge the man’s detention” after ACLU was given permission to speak with him who asked them to file a petition on his behalf.

The case would be the first time American citizens captured on the battlefield as suspected IS fighters can challenge their detention according to a law established by the Supreme Court for Americans alleged of belonging to al-Qaeda and other groups after Sep. 11, 2001.