TNT Residue Found On Luggage Of Somali Religious Leader Arrested At Portland Airport

KATU-TV ^ | September 9, 2002

[Shermy]

PORTLAND - Tests indicated explosives residue on the luggage of a local Islamic religious leader arrested at the Portland International Airport on charges of document fraud, a federal prosecutor said Monday at the man's arraignment.

Sheik Mohamed Abdirahman Kariye, 41, was arrested at the airport without incident around noon Sunday and booked at the Multnomah County Jail.

Kariye on Monday pleaded innocent to two felony charges of using false information - including a changed name - while applying for and receiving three different Social Security cards between 1983 and 1995. The federal indictment also alleges that Kariye used an altered birth date in a 1998 asylum application.

About 100 members of the Islamic community, including women wrapped in head scarves, crowded the courtroom and hallways to show support for Kariye. As Kariye entered, dressed in a blue jumpsuit and shackled at the wrists and ankles, the supporters murmured an Arabic greeting in unison.

U.S. District Court Judge Donald Ashmanskas set a Nov. 5 trial date for the case and ordered Kariye held until Tuesday, when the court will resume a detention hearing to determine if he can be released pending trial.

Ashmanskas said the court staff had not finished reviewing Kariye's background and legal status to make a release recommendation.

Kariye, who was born in Somalia, serves as an imam, or prayer leader, at the Islamic Center of Portland-Masjed As-Saber, a southwest Portland mosque, said Philip A. Lewis, Kariye's lawyer.

Charles Mathews, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, had toured the Islamic center on Aug. 31 on an invitation from the board of directors, The Oregonian reported.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Gorder said Monday that Kariye went to the airport on Sunday with his four young children and his brother for a flight to Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.

Gorder said tests done Monday by the U.S. Customs Service on the party's confiscated luggage indicated "TNT residue" on two of the bags.

"As I understand, at least some part of the inside of the luggage or clothes in the luggage were at some point in contact with TNT," Gorder said.

He also said "several thousand dollars" were found in Kariye's bags, along with a checkbook that used a different variation of Kariye's name.

Kariye had told his ex-wife he was planning to leave the country permanently, Gorder said. Kariye's apartment lease expires on Friday, he said.

Gorder also said that Kariye, who appeared to have little money, had traveled extensively in 1999 and 2000 to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Qatar.

Lewis said Kariye was traveling to Dubai to take a teaching job and decided to take his children to immerse them in Arabic culture. He said his client had made several trips to Saudi Arabia to make religious pilgrimages and to speak in his role as imam.

"He's worked other places, he's lived other places and he's gone to give sermons for his job," Lewis said.

He also said it is common for Islamic people to have multiple names. Variations of Kariye's name on document applications were not necessarily attempts at fraud, he said.

"My client's name is a long name and there are often variations which are not viewed as significant," Lewis said.

Kariye was arrested by the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force - which includes FBI agents, investigators from several other federal agencies, and local police officers.

Kariye appeared calm in court, stroking his beard and answering only "Yes, sir" to questions posed by the judge. Lewis requested that Kariye, a severe diabetic, have access to his medicine, which was confiscated with his luggage at the airport.

He also requires a special diet, Lewis said.

[sarcasm]

ping

[dennisw]

wonderful....

[Wolfstar]

Nearly 70% of the big attacks on American interests by radical Islamists over the past 19 years have been perpetrated between September and December. I have absolutely NO DOUBT that they are trying to hit us again this fall or winter.

[Pearls Before Swine]

TNT residue--could happen to anyone.

[freeperfromnj]

There is a lot of scattered activity going on..... and it's only Monday.

[Marylander]

Is he one of those exploding Imams? I don't care what anyone says, I would consider blowing up Portland to be a direct attack on the United States.

[sinkspur]

TNT residue--could happen to anyone.

Yep. Any schmoe could pick up a little trace of explosives just puttering around the mosque. Right?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The guy was leaving town on 9/9 with explosives residue on his stuff. Nothing suspicious here. < /sarcasm >

[tomahawk]

Why are we letting Jihadists into our country? Do we have a death wish?

[Poohbah]

"Hey, Achmed, hold muh suitcase and WATCH THIS!"

[Uncle Meat]

Kariye on Monday pleaded innocent to two felony charges of using false information - including a changed name - while applying for and receiving three different Social Security cards between 1983 and 1995. The federal indictment also alleges that Kariye used an altered birth date in a 1998 asylum application.

Nope,sorry,gotta let him go.Don't want to get nailed for profiling.You get the senior citizen in the wheel chair.I'll nail the one with the walker.Don't let their age fool ya,they only look harmless.

[Shermy]

The guy was leaving town on 9/9 with explosives residue on his stuff. Nothing suspicious here. < /sarcasm >

Also, he was never coming back.

Nothing to see here, move along!

PS. I don't know much about these tests, but recall that some of them trace nitrogen or nitrates - which can be used in those OKC like bombs. People sometimes have false positives on their shoes if they've walked on fertilized lawns, I read.

[Shermy]

Ping.

[chnsmok]

Nearly 70% of the big attacks on American interests by radical Islamists over the past 19 years have been perpetrated between September and December.
Why would this be? Any explanation?

[swarthyguy]

Why was he leaving now, apparently for good. Is something up?

[cinFLA]

Yep. Any schmoe could pick up a little trace of explosives just puttering around the mosque. Right?

You were probably being sarcastic but you may be very close the the truth?

[SarahW]

Saw a group of his "supporters" on Fox...scariest looking brutes you could imagine. Some had an expression, hard to describe, of masked "just you wait, I'll get you" fury.

TNT! I hope that the FBI middle managers won't stand in the way of a warrant to search places he works and lives.

I think its pretty obvious he was getting out of dodge before Sept 11, the second.

[sinkspur]

Why are we letting Jihadists into our country? Do we have a death wish?

Another incident, and I'll wager we're gonna start bootin' these people out of the country, wholesale.

Of course, I'm wonderin', why wait?

[ikka]

The guy was leaving town on 9/9 with explosives residue on his stuff. Nothing suspicious here.

There were other cases where the man involved in terrorism would leave his wife behind, but I can't remember which case it was, exactly...

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Variations of Kariye's name on document applications were not necessarily attempts at fraud, he (Lewis) said...

What's up with that? Can you see this yahoo in a criminal court-room...?

Your Honor, the presence of the defendants spouse under the tires of the couples' Chevy one-ton with said defendant at the wheel is not necessarily a murder attempt...

[NilesJo]

I don't know much about these tests, but recall that some of them trace nitrogen or nitrates - which can be used in those OKC like bombs. People sometimes have false positives on their shoes if they've walked on fertilized lawns, I read.

I think when they specifically say "TNT" they have used a more definitive test than just one that detects nitrogen compounds.

[ValerieUSA]

The sheik was in a hurry to leave Portland... time to round up ALL of the members of his mosque and search them for TNT, too, before we lose a major U.S. city.

[Shermy]

Video at link has one guy saying USA becoming a Nazi state, another more circupect about the guy.

But apparently the perp has been here for years, and went to high school here even.

[swarthyguy]

I'm sure that mosque along with many others in under the microscope. As they all should well be until conclusively determined by the authorities that no jihadi activities are taking place at them.

[jobedo]

There's no way... I've heard it's a religon of peace.(extreme sarcasm)

[VaBthang4]

"Kariye had told his ex-wife he was planning to leave the country permanently, Gorder said. Kariye's apartment lease expires on Friday, he said."

Hmmm...

Could be benign coincidence that it is occuring during the anniversary of September 11th.

....or could not.

P.P.P.P.P.P.

[fight_truth_decay]

..thought this was Portland Maine at first as Maine is taking in many Somalians in the past year..Portland, Augusta and Lewiston..

[VaBthang4]

"Saw a group of his "supporters" on Fox...scariest looking brutes you could imagine."

They looked like Islamopunks to me.

I can imagine a squad of US Marines looking quite a bit more threatening.

Semper Fi

~grin~

[xm177e2]

Is he one of those exploding Imams?

Name ONE Imam who ever exploded.

They never commit suicide themselves, they just send out other people to blow up. If the TNT residue is genuine, he might be trying to flee before his followers carry out an attack.

[hauerf]

"TNT residue--could happen to anyone."

Agreed. He was probably just back from a fishing trip.

[fight_truth_decay]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/727252/posts

[Shermy]

...from sea to shining sea...

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

But what about his civil rights? Afterall, aren't explosives a part of Islam? He should be protected by our First Amendment.

[fight_truth_decay]

"More than 1,600 Somalis moved to Maine last year and they have continued to arrive at an average of five families per week"...part of story I indicated above.

[ladyinred]

Perhaps this will calm those who are complaining about the Homeland Security Act. This may have averted something very tragic.

[albee]

But...but...he is a religous leader...a man of God...and Islam is the religion of peace. /sarcasm

[therut]

I've got a question? Can these sniffing machines pick up whether I had lets say a 45 caliber cartridege in my purse the day before or if I carried black powder(you know these containers that you carry your powder to the woods in) in my purse or bag the day before? What if I just reloaded some ammo and I got sniffed?

[2rightsleftcoast]

My thoughts exactly! How did he get here?
Are we deporting ANYONE!

[2rightsleftcoast]

Move along, nothing to see here.
God forbid we should ask a man heading
for Dubai any questions.

[2rightsleftcoast]

I believe the july 4 incident at lax, the man had sent his wife and children home the previous week.
Of course that case is still not being called terrorism.
Stop this stupidity, raid the mosques.

[2rightsleftcoast]

I saw that on tv. Why is that?

[SR71A]

Gorder also said that Kariye, who appeared to have little money, had traveled extensively in 1999 and 2000 to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Qatar.

He had three Social Security Numbers. Wonder how much of his "impoverished" lifestyle was supported by the taxpayers through SSI, Medicaid, and Food Stamps? If they don't nail him for terrorism, they should try fraud next.

All this travel to the Middle East doesn't quite match up with poverty either, does it? If he was really poor, he wouldn't be able to travel to Eugene, let alone Dubai.

[AFreeBird]

I've often wondered what would happen if I went out to the clay range a few days before flying and having my shoes sniffed. I mean I don't have any special shoes for breaking a few clays, well, ones comfortable for standing and walking, something you do in airports everywhere.

[Grampa Dave]

Hey, if you are an Islamkazi hot shot, Portland is the place to be for safety. The Mayor, the Police Chief and the City council will roll out the welcome mat for you:

(Portland police have rejected U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's request for help in questioning thousands of young Middle Eastern men because the interviews likely would violate state law, the bureau's acting police chief said Tuesday. )

[Grampa Dave]

Shermy, thanks, and for the rest of you, more of the continuing saga of Islamakazis in the US.

[MissAmericanPie]

And perhaps not. It's inexcusable to grant anyone from a terrorist nation the right to come here, much less five families a week in one small area of Maine.

Already the INS can't locate 300,000 of these creeps to deport.

[Grampa Dave]

It isn't the FBI who will be blocking getting evidence on this Islamakazi and his fellow Islamakazis.

It will be the Portland Mayor, Portland's city council, Portland's Chief of Police, and of course the liberal governor of the State of Oregon.

These comments are from a thread last winter: (Portland police have rejected U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's request for help in questioning thousands of young Middle Eastern men because the interviews likely would violate state law, the bureau's acting police chief said Tuesday. Link to thread )

[Uncle Miltie]

His mosque has a web-site. Let's do some digging:

http://www.assaber.com/

[Uncle Miltie]

His mosque's links include Salafi.net. You may recall that Richard Reid and many of the 9-11 guys were hooked up to the Salafi group. If recollection serves, that is also the Islamo-fascist team meeting in London to celebrate 9-11, and to which the armed Swedish muslim was heading on a plane.

This guy is hooked up. Let's dig in and figure out what these Oregonians are up to.