Career
Jefferson was found shot to death near Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His killing was originally described as a criminal act, connected with robbing him of his valuables. American counter-terrorism officials were later to imply it was an act of terrorism.
lieutenant has been called the first act of terrorism in post-independence Bosnia.
Jefferson was from Camden, New Jersey. Jefferson started working for the United Nations in its Dag Hammarskjöld Library in 1982.
In 1992 he volunteered to serve on overseas United Nations missions, first serving in Somalia. Joe Sills, a United Nations spokesmen stated:
A week later the New York Times reported: "United Nations officials strongly suspect that he was killed by the mujahedeen, who may have mistaken him for a British citizen."
Jefferson was a Librarian at the United Nations, who volunteered take leave to serve in Bosnia.
American counter-terrorism officials were later to class the killing as a terrorist attack.
Saudi Arabian Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair is alleged to have played a role in his killing. When he was captured Zuhair was said to have had Jefferson"s watch in his possession. Zuhair"s attorneys have pointed out that Zuhair was never charged in connection with the killing, despite extensive investigations by the United Nations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bosnian authorities.
Bosnian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Fa‘iz al-Shanbari in 1998 in relation to the shooting.
The United Nations"s 200-page investigation made no mention of Zuhair. Zuhair was cleared for release by the Bush administration and finally repatriated to Saudi Arabia on June 12, 2009.
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.
