Six Terror Suspects Arrested

[Attalus]

This was in the newspaper this morning. Looks like the feds smoked out another terrorist cell.

http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews...ror.a4e78.html

[ 10-05-2002, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: Attalus ]

[Attalus]

Since you have to register, I copied it out, here:

Last modified: 11:17 AM CDT on Saturday, October 05, 2002


6 terror suspects charged in U.S.
Army reservist among 4 arrested in plot to join Taliban fighters

10/05/2002

By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Six people, including an Army reservist, were charged Friday with conspiring after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to travel to Afghanistan and take up arms with the Taliban against U.S. military forces.

"We've neutralized a suspected terrorist cell within our borders," Attorney General John Ashcroft said as he announced the arrests of four of the six people accused in the plan, which was hatched in Portland, Ore.


A Portland apartment complex was sealed off when police moved in.
(AP)
The two others remain at large overseas, Mr. Ashcroft said, declining to say whether U.S. authorities know their whereabouts.

The indictment accuses five men of engaging in weapons training and trying to join forces with the Taliban and al-Qaeda by slipping into Afghanistan via China and Pakistan a month after the Sept. 11 attacks. The ex-wife of one of the men is accused of wiring $2,130 overseas to help them.

There are no allegations in the indictment that the six plotted to commit any acts of terrorism in the United States. Nor does the indictment allege that the men – three of whom returned to the United States after failing to reach Afghanistan – communicated directly with the Taliban or al-Qaeda.

Five of the suspects are Americans, the other a Jordanian with a U.S. green card.

Authorities were exuberant about the arrests, which came the same day that John Walker Lindh was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fighting with the Taliban and a laughing Richard Reid pledged fealty to Osama bin Laden and pleaded guilty to trying to blow up a jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.

Also Online
Grand jury indictment
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"Today is a defining day in America's war against terrorism," Mr. Ashcroft said. "In addition to these arrests, two self-confessed enemy soldiers in the war on terrorism meet justice in United States courts today."

The Portland investigation follows the breakup of what authorities described as "sleeper" cells in Buffalo, N.Y., and Detroit. In the Buffalo case last month, authorities arrested six U.S. citizens of Yemeni descent and charged them with providing material support to al-Qaeda. And in August, five men were indicted in Michigan on charges of conspiracy to provide resources to a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.

"Those who support terrorists or engage in acts of terrorism will be brought to justice," FBI Director Robert Mueller said at Friday's news conference with Mr. Ashcroft.

Four-count indictment



AP
Arrested and charged.

The four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Portland accuses the six of conspiracy to levy war against the United States; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda; and conspiracy to contribute services to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Four of the men were charged with a fourth count: possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.
The charges could bring life imprisonment.

The six are identified as Jeffrey Leon Battle, 32, a.k.a. Ahmad Ali and Abu Isa; Patrice Lumumba Ford, 31; Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, 24; his brother, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, 22; Habis Abdulla Al Saoub, 37, a.k.a. Abu Tarek; and October Martinique Lewis, 25, who is Mr. Battle's ex-wife.

The indictment alleges that Mr. Battle joined the Army Reserves to obtain weapons and tactical training, "which he ultimately intended to use against the United States and in support of al-Qaeda and the Taliban."

Authorities say three days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Ford purchased a 12-gauge shotgun to use in weapons training. He and the Bilal brothers engaged in physical training to "prepare to fight a jihad," the indictment says.

Mr. Battle, Mr. Ford, the Bilals and Mr. Al Saoub, who is Jordanian, set out for Afghanistan in October 2001. They bought airplane tickets to Hong Kong, hoping to travel through China and Pakistan to enter Afghanistan.

Before leaving, Mr. Al Saoub discarded personal effects, including a canceled Jordanian passport and a "martyr's will directed to the Mujahedeen leader Mohammad Ibin Abdallah," the indictment says.

The men struggled to get into Afghanistan, according to the indictment, moving from Hong Kong to Beijing and Guangzhou, China, and to Indonesia and Bangladesh. Ms. Lewis wired money overseas, as did an unknown confederate.

Mr. Battle e-mailed his ex-wife on Nov. 2 that "he and other members of the conspiracy had encountered difficulties in crossing the borders to accomplish their goal of entering Afghanistan," the indictment says.

Mr. Ford and Muhammad Bilal returned to the United States in November after failing to enter Afghanistan; Mr. Battle returned Feb. 5, two weeks after securing his discharge from the Army Reserve. Officials didn't release further information about his service.

Mr. Al Saoub and Ahmed Bilal remain abroad, authorities said, declining to specify whether they ever reached Afghanistan.

Deputy credited



AP
Still at large.

Credit for the investigation went to a quick-eyed sheriff's deputy in Washington state who came across several of the men, less than three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, taking target practice with an arsenal of weapons at a gravel pit across the Columbia River from Portland.
Before shooing them off the private land, Skamania County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Mercer made a note of their identification.

Weeks later, when Khaled Ali Steitiye – named as an unindicted co-conspirator in Friday's indictment – was arrested in a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation, Deputy Mercer recognized the name and face and alerted the task force about the gravel pit incident.

The task force opened an investigation, which led to Friday's arrests of Ms. Lewis, Mr. Battle and Mr. Ford in Portland and Muhammad Bilal in Detroit.

[Ronn_Bman]

I've been following that this week, and it's very interested. American born citizens. The guy in the National Guard is thought to have joined to gain military training for use with Al-Queta.

[Attalus]

Yep, just another example why profiling can't work.

[johnny]

Why the hell would anyone wanna join the Taliban ?

[Spikeous]

Because they're flipping retards

Kill em' all

[Larry_OHF]

I am glad they were stopped before more harm can be done. At least for every person that is captured prior to a catastophy...is one step closer to saving many lives. The Taliban and Al-Queda...what a losing team to consider being a part of. I wonder what prompts one to want to live in that enviroment?

[Bardan the Slayer]

Originally posted by Attalus: Yep, just another example why profiling can't work.

Not all the time anyway.

[Attalus]

Originally posted by Bardan the Slayer: Not all the time anyway.

I don't know of anything that works all of the time. I know of some things that work most of the time, though.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by Attalus: Yep, just another example why profiling can't work.

Actually, this is an exoneration of profiling. Proof that it not only works, but doesn't hinder the other parts of the process.

Those MOST likely to have terroristic "tendancies" are looked at as "more likely", but EVERYONE is still suspected and, yes, EVEN Americans can be guilty and, more important, can be caught. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I doubt many Americans are surprised by the fact that their fellow citizens can be a$%holes just like everyone else.

The US Congress members who were held up in airports didn't fit the profile...US Medal of Honor winners didn't fit the profile...elderly females didn't fit the profile...US state governors didn't fit the profile, but all were delayed during the past year under the increased security precautions. Damn right they were!

Profiling IS valid. Ignoring reason is NOT!

[ 10-06-2002, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: Ronn_Bman ]