Way to Spot al-Qaeda Terrorist: Casio Watch

Casio F-91W digital watches were seen as 'the sign of al-Qaeda'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2011 10:27 AM CDT
Way to Spot al-Qaeda Terrorist: Casio Watch
Casio watches are seen in this file photo.   (Getty Images)

If you wear a cheap Casio watch around Afghanistan, watch out: The US military might just mistake you for a terrorist. According to the newly leaked Guantanamo documents, the ubiquitous timepiece was considered “the sign of al-Qaeda,” and used to help justify the detention of several prisoners, the Guardian reveals. The Casio F-91W and the silver-colored A-159W model were "known to be given to the students at al-Qaeda bomb-making training courses in Afghanistan,” a report explains.

The students were allegedly taught to time their explosive devices using the watch. “Approximately one-third of the JTF-GTMO detainees that were captured with these models of watches have known connections to explosives,” the report continues. More than 50 detainee files contain mentions of Casio watches, and the Los Angeles Times notes that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was wearing one when he was captured in March 2003. (Click to read about a heartbreaking revelation to come out of the Gitmo files.)

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