Germany Deports 'Bin Laden Bodyguard' After More Than TWO Decades

Caleb Tolin | July 13, 2018
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Sami A, a 42 year old Tunisian man, has been deported from Germany after living there for over 20 years because he was allegedly a bodyguard to the infamous al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden.

Despite his asylum application being rejected in 2007, Sami A had lived in Bochum, Germany since 1997. Not only was he living there illegally, but he was even collecting €1,168 ($1,363) every month in welfare from the state.

In fact, Sami A was not actually supposed to be deported at all, after a judge ruled that he could face "the considerable likelihood" of "torture and inhumane or degrading treatment" if he were sent back to Tunisia.

But word from the judge did not get back to authorities in time to prevent his deportation. Interior Ministry Spokeswoman Annegret Korff said "I can confirm that Sami A was sent back to Tunisia this morning and handed over to Tunisian authorities."

A spokesperson for the court said that ideally he would be put back on another plane and returned to Germany because "According to the court's decision, he should not have been deported,” according to Die Welt.

Sami A has always denied his connection as a bodyguard to Osama Bin Laden, but in another court case in 2015, judges found that Sami A had military training at an Al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan.

According to the BBC, he has lived in Bochum, Germany since 2005 and has taken several technology classes. He obtained a temporary residence permit in Germany in 1999.

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