The Hooded Man

The Hooded Man
Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh, an Iraqi prisoner, being tortured at Abu Ghraib prison by U.S soldiers; the prisoner is standing on the box with live electric wires attached to his left and right hand
Year2003
SubjectAbdou Hussain Saad Faleh

The Hooded Man (or The Man on the Box) is an image showing a prisoner at Abu Ghraib prison with wires attached to his fingers, standing on a box with a covered head. The photo has been portrayed as an iconic photograph of the Iraq War, "the defining image of the scandal" and "symbol of the torture at Abu Ghraib". The image was first revealed to the public on CBS's 60 Minutes II program on 28 April 2004, after a delay requested by the US military. It was later published on the cover of The Economist's 8 May 2004 issue, as the opening photo of The New Yorker on 10 May 2004, and on the front page of The New York Times on 11 March 2006.

The man in the photo was initially reported to be Ali Shallal al-Qaisi but the online magazine Salon.com later raised doubts about his identity. It was later reported that although al-Qaisi was photographed in a similar position, the actual Hooded Man was Abdou Hussain Saad Faleh, nicknamed Gilligan.