Part IV

Tuesday September 6

• Kathy lost contact with Zeitoun
• Zeitoun was held hostage by men in military uniform and was accused of being part of Al-Qaeda
• Without being read his rights or having access to a lawyer or phone call, Zeitoun underwent interrogation and a full body search.
• While imprisoned Zeitoun was living under meager conditions, given pork to eat and since he is Muslim he couldn’t eat it. He was also unable to sleep because of the train engine used to provide the prison with electricity.

Wednesday September 7

• Zeitoun was arrested and confined to a cell along with three other men: Todd, Nasser, and Ronnie.
• Jerry was sent to their cell, apparently arrested for siphoning fuel from his neighbors car
• A prisoner in another cell had mental issues and was pepper sprayed and doused with water for disobeying guard’s orders.
• Zeitoun wanted to help the prisoner but for the sake of his family decides not to.
• During prayers, he asks for his family’s forgiveness and regrets staying back during the storm.

Thursday September 8

• Zeitoun notices that he has a splinter that was now getting infected; using a broken Tabasco bottle he takes out the metal sliver the size of a toothpick from his foot giving him instant relief.
• Jerry started asking Zeitoun and Nasser about their heritage and family, making Zeitoun think Jerry was a spy.

Friday September 9

• On this day, Zeitoun is moved out of Camp Greyhound and is transported to Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel in the maximum security sector of the prison.
• Although he was treated better than the previous prison, Zeitoun not only had no access to a phone, but was also isolated to a cell with Nasser because they were both Syrian
• While in the cell Zeitoun kept thinking about Kathy and how he hasn’t been able to contact her and how worried she and his children may be for not knowing about him.

Saturday September 10

• Zeitoun asked for a phone call but the guards ignored him.
• One of the guards thought that Zeitoun and Nasser were a couple which infuriated Zeitoun, but he preferred to control his anger to avoid more trouble.

Sunday September 11

• Four African Americans were introduced into Zeitoun’s cell and like him they were also innocent men falsely accused on charges brought on them.
• Zeitoun started having pain on his side near his kidney and no matter what he did the pain persisted so he had no other choice but to fill out a form to see the doctor.

Monday September 12

• The four African Americans in the cell were removed and being alone with Nasser Zeitoun limited the communication between them in fear of being spied on and thought of as conspiring.
• As Zeitoun sat against the bed he started to remember past time when he was in the airport, where he faced racism for being Muslim

Tuesday September 13

• Ever since he was arrested, Zeitoun had no contact with the outside world and the only itme he got out of the cell was to take a shower and even that had bars.
• He also started to think about why he was arrested and if he was going to end up like other Muslims where they spent months and even years in prison before being released.

Wednesday September 14

• Zeitoun’s side pain was increasing and he started to lose too much weight.
• He thought that the pain was caused by sorrow or it was a manifestation of anger, helplessness and sadness.

Thursday September 15

• Zeitoun was confined to a cell all by himself; he thought about how he should’ve bought a higher life insurance to keep his family protected and how Ronnie could be the reason he was arrested.
• He was also thinking about how him and his family would have to live with the fact that he had been to prison and his how his reputation and dignity have been ruined.

Friday September 16

• For the first time since he was arrested Zeitoun had the chance to go outside his cell and see the sun.
• At one point the guards were making rounds and telling prisoners to get out of their cells and strip to make sure they didn’t have any prohibited objects.

Saturday September 17

• Zeitoun starts to regret staying behind to look after the properties. He’s also disappointed in the U.S. police force and the military because they failed to protect people like him, instead they “devoured anyone who got close”
• Sees his situation as a lesson from God for being too proud and wanting to be like his brother Mohammed and wanting to make himself known.

Sunday September 18

• A black man in his sixties was passing with a cart full of Bibles distributing them to the prisoner. Zeitoun took advantage of this opportunity and asked the man to please call his wife and tell her he’s alive.

Monday September 19

• Zeitoun was asked to leave his cell and he was taken to a white van that would take him to an office where Todd, Ronnie and Nasser were waiting.
• At the office, Zeitoun was interviewed and asked why he had stayed and how he knew the others and why he didn’t have any money with him whereas Nasser carried his life savings.
• The interviewers, which were from Homeland security, asked im if they can do him a favor and he said yes, to call his wife Kathy.

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• Kathy, after receiving the call from the man with the bibles, received a call from Homeland Security assuring her that Zeitoun was fine and the charges were dropped.
• She later called Hunt, the prison where Zeitoun was, and they told her that he wasn't in their records but in FEMA's records. She then called Raleigh their lawyer to help them with the case but he didn't guarantee a certain time.

Tuesday September 20

• Ahmad, Zeitoun's brother, called Kathy to tell her to tell the rest of the family that Zeitoun wasn't in prison so that they wouldn't worry. He also wanted to know Zeitoun's info so he could contact someone to help get Zeitoun out since the charges of being a terrorist put him at great risk

Thursday September 22

• Kathy was told by Raleigh that Zeitoun was indeed in Hunt. She later called Ahmad to tell him the news but he was still worried since no one had yet seen him they couldn't be sure about anything.

Friday September 23

• Raleigh told Kathy about the possibility of seeing Zeitoun. She then booked a flight to New Orleans, called Adnan, Zeitoun's cousin and planned to sleep over at his apartment.

Sunday September 25

• Kathy arrived at New Orleans. During the flight, the plane flew low so they could see the damage from the hurricane. Once she arrived, Adnan picked her up took her to his apartment and Kathy instantly fell asleep the minute she went to bed.

Monday September 26

• Zeitoun was assured by Homeland Security and the missionary, the man with the bibles, that they'd call Kathy but he still wasn't assured that they had indeed called her.
• He was later led to a “court room” where he was represented by a public defender and received a bail of $75,000 but still had no possibility of a phone call.

Tuesday September 27

• Raleigh called Kathy so that she could get character witnesses in favor of Zeitoun, she managed to get seven people, even their children's school principal.
• When Kathy tried to find out where the hearing would take place, the people in the district attorney's office told her that it was private information.
• Raleigh managed to see Zeitoun and talked to him if they should hand over the $75k and be free right there or fight the bail money and pay $10k later. Zeitoun preferred to pay later since his family knew how he was and that the money used for the bail could be put to better use in his children's education.

Wednesday September 28

• Kathy arrived at Hunt with the character witnesses confident that after testifying Zeitoun would be released. Unfortunately the hearing was canceled.
• Adnan and Kathy went to the office building Zeitoun owned to get the ownership papers to pay for the bail. Raleigh faxed the papers and the payment was confirmed but since the office closed early Zeitoun would have to spen another night in prison.

Thursday September 29

• Adnan and Kathy arrived at the prison at 8am and were told to wait. Zeitoun was praying when the guard came over to him and told him to hurry up because he was being released.
• When Zeitoun was finally free, Kathy noticed that he was broken and had lost lots of weight. He also asked to leave immediately and as they were driving away Ahmad called wanting to know about Zeitoun and once he was able to talk Ahmad was relieved to know his brother was back with his family.