WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, ahead of the 3rd anniversary of Mahmood Habibi’s arrest, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) announced the reintroduction of a bicameral resolution to reiterate the call to bring Mahmood Habibi home.
Mahmood Habibi, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Taliban’s security service, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) because the Taliban believed he was involved in the U.S. drone strike that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri on July 31, 2022. Prior to his abduction, Mahmood worked for a U.S.-based telecommunications company in charge of operating Afghanistan's civilian airport infrastructure, such as radar and air traffic control. On August 10, 2022, Mahmood and 30 of his colleagues were arrested by the GDI. All those arrested by the GDI were subsequently released, except for Mahmood and one of his colleagues. According to Mahmood’s family, the Taliban continues to make unsubstantiated claims that they are not holding him that are easily contradicted by numerous witness statements and technical evidence in the possession of the US government. His family is confident that Mahmood is alive and remains in Taliban custody.
“This Sunday marks three years since Mahmood Habibi, a United States citizen and loving husband and father, was unlawfully arrested by the Taliban,” said Senator Booker. “President Trump and the executive branch must keep working to secure his release and reunite him with his family. I am committed to bringing Mahmood home, and will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to demand the immediate release of every single American wrongfully detained abroad.”
“It is horrendous that Mahmood Habibi is still unlawfully being held by the Taliban. I condemn the Taliban’s actions in capturing and holding Mahmood, and I stand with his family in calling for his immediate release and will continue to do so until he is safely home. I ask anyone with information to come forward to aid in Mahmood’s safe return,” said Representative Zoe Lofgren.
“We are grateful to Rep. Lofgren and Sen. Booker for standing with our family in fighting for my brother’s freedom. He is an innocent U.S. citizen and the Taliban’s denials they arrested him are directly contradicted by witness statements and technical evidence in the possession of the US government,” said Ahmad Habibi, Mahmood’s brother and a resident of New Jersey.
The U.S. State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently announced a $5 million reward for the location, recovery, and return of Mahmood Habibi under the Rewards for Justice program.