William Arnold Jefferson
Born(1951-11-28)November 28, 1951
DiedNovember 19, 1995(1995-11-19) (aged 43)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationLibrarian
Known forMurdered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

William Arnold Jefferson (November 28, 1951 – November 19, 1995) was an American librarian and United Nations employee who was killed while serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jefferson was found shot to death near Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a New Jersey native, who would have turned 44 a week after the day his body was found near Banovići, in northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina, not far from where the NATO peace mission and U.S. military headquarters was established. He is survived by a son and a brother. His killing was described as a criminal act, with his car and all of his valuables stolen.

Volunteer U.N. engagement and death

Jefferson was from Camden, New Jersey. He started working for the U.N. in its Dag Hammarskjöld Library in 1982.[1][2] In 1992 he volunteered to serve on overseas U.N. missions, first serving in Somalia. He then moved to serve as the U.N. volunteer worker in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the peace agreement was signed and Nato troops deployed.[1]

Jefferson was shot twice to the head and his body found near town of Banovići, in the northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina, not far from where the NATO peace mission and U.S. military headquarters was established. He was 43 and would have turned 44 a week after he was found.[3] His killing was described as a criminal act, with his car and all of his valuables stolen. Joe Sills, a U.N. spokesperson stated: "There was every reason to believe that the motives were criminal and not political. Mr. Jefferson's car was stolen, and his personal belongings were missing." A week later the New York Times reported that "United Nations officials strongly suspect that he was killed by the mujahedeen, who may have mistaken him for a British citizen." Suspicion were later raised that the person responsible for the murder was Saudi Arabian Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair, who will later be detained at Guantanamo under unrelated terrorism charges.[4][5][6][7][8] Reason for the suspicion was Jefferson's watch found in Zuhair's 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.[9] The U.N.'s 200-page investigation made no mention of Zuhair. Zuhair was cleared for release by the Bush administration[10] and finally repatriated to Saudi Arabia on June 12, 2009.[11]

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.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Helen Kennedy (2005-11-23). "SLAIN N.J. MAN VOLUNTEERED FOR DANGER". Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  2. ↑ "DEAD AMERICAN NAMED U.N. EMPLOYEE'S KILLING IN BOSNIAN TOWN STILL MYSTERY TO OFFICIALS". Rocky Mountain News. 2005-11-23. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  3. ↑ Camden Courier-Post, December 1, 1995
  4. ↑ Chris Hedges (1995-12-03). "Foreign Islamic Fighters in Bosnia Pose a Potential Threat for G.I.'s". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
  5. ↑ Ben Fox (2008-10-25). "Guantanamo guards struggle with hunger striker". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26. The U.S. also claims he was involved in the November 1995 shooting death of an American U.N. employee, William Jefferson of Camden, N.J., in Bosnia.
  6. ↑ OARDEC (2004-10-26). "Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Zuhayri, Ahmad Zayid Salim" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2008-08-12. The detainee was involved in the murder of a United States official (William Jefferson) who was working for the United Nations in Tuzla, Bosnia. William Jefferson's watch was among the items found in the detainee's belongings.
  7. ↑ OARDEC (25 October 2005). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. 87–89. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-12. The detainee is believed to be responsible for the firearm murder of a U.S. person, William Jefferson, on 21 November 1995 in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  8. ↑ OARDEC (30 October 2006). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Ahmed Zeid Salem Zohair" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. 12–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-12. The detainee is responsible for the 1994 or 1995 murder, with a firearm, of United States person, William Jefferson, in Tuzla Canton, Bosnia Herzegovina
  9. ↑ "Traverse in Support of Ahmed Zuhair's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus" (PDF). 2008-12-31. pp. 51–53. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  10. ↑ Andy Worthington (2009-03-20). "Guantánamo's Long-Term Hunger Striker Should Be Sent Home". However, the most extraordinary aspect of Ahmed Zuhair's plight, which was not mentioned in press reports on Wednesday, is that he was actually cleared for release from Guantánamo, after the latest round of annual reviews — known as the Administrative Review Boards — on December 23, although he was not informed until February 10, and his lawyers were not told until February 16.
  11. ↑ Carol Rosenberg (2009-06-12). "U.S. sends 3 more detainees to Saudi Arabia". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  12. ↑ C-SPAN (2009-06-17). "Senate Judiciary Hearing with Eric Holder". pp. 40:45–42:30. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
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