In July 2005, Omar al-Faruq, the highest-ranked prisoner at the base and one of the highest-ranked al-Qaeda officers ever captured, escaped along with Libyan Abu Yahya al-Libi, Saudi Muhammad Jafar Jamal al-Kahtani and Syrian Abdullah Al-Shami.
The Damascus goat, also known as Aleppo, Halep, Baladi, Damascene, Shami, or Chami, is a breed of goat raised in Syria and Lebanon.
On Nov 19, 2009 Shami announced he was running for governor of Texas as a Democrat.
Other crops such as wheat, clover, shami corn and Rhodes grass are grown on thousands of acres of land across four major projects in Haradh, Wadi Al-Dawasser, Hail and Al Jouf.