By Trevor Aaronson

May 27, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -  John Walker Lindh was the first big catch of the so-called U.S. war on terror. A Californian who had converted to Islam, Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001. He was 20 years old.

Dubbed the “American Taliban,” Lindh was freed from prison Thursday on supervised release, his 20-year sentence reduced slightly for good behavior. His exit from prison has caused some handwringing among the chattering and political classes.

“The ‘American Taliban’ will be free after 17 years. Is the U.S. ready to welcome him back?” the Washington Post asked. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama claimed President Donald Trump opposes Lindh’s early release. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Lindh’s return to freedom on “Fox & Friends” as “unexplainable and unconscionable.” In response to Lindh’s newfound freedom, Shelby joined with two Republican colleagues, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Representative Bradley Byrne of Alabama, to introduce a bill, the No Leniency for Terrorists Act, which would make convicted terrorists ineligible for early release.

But those who believe Lindh’s release should raise fresh fears for our collective safety simply haven’t been paying attention.

Lindh is unique as a cultural figure — his capture in Afghanistan made him a modern-day Benedict Arnold — but he is just one of more than 400 convicted terrorists who have been released from U.S. prisons since 9/11. In fact, Lindh isn’t even the only convicted terrorist being released over the course of a week in late May.

Charlton Edward La Chase, who wanted to be — in his words — “the first deaf person to create American casualties in the name of ISIS,” was freed on May 24. Michael Todd Wolfe, who planned to head to Syria to join ISIS, will be released May 30.

Indeed, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has over the past few years released dozens of name-brand terrorists. U.S. officials have no special program to monitor these people or help reintegrate them into a society that may continue to see them as the enemy.