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WASHINGTON — U.S. authorities brought charges Monday against a British man they claim conspired with admitted Al Qaeda (search) member Richard Reid (search) to use shoe bombs to blow up planes in midair. A federal grand jury indictment unsealed in Boston charges Saajid Badat, 25, with attempted murder, trying to destroy an aircraft and other counts related to the alleged conspiracy with Reid, who also is a British citizen and Muslim convert. Reid's attempt to blow up a Paris-to-Miami flight on Dec. 22, 2001, was thwarted by attendants and passengers after he tried to light a fuse leading to the...

A captured Al-Qaeda operative has told Canadian Intelligence investigators that a Montreal man who trained in Afghanistan alongside the 9-11 hijackers was responsible for the crash of an American Airlines flight in New York three years ago.

Stewart Bell National Post A captured al-Qaeda operative has told Canadian intelligence investigators that a Montreal man who trained in Afghanistan alongside the 9/11 hijackers was responsible for the crash of an American Airlines flight in New York three years ago. Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents were told during five days of interviews with the source that Abderraouf Jdey, a Canadian citizen also known as Farouk the Tunisian, had downed the plane with explosives on Nov. 12, 2001. The source claimed Jdey had used his Canadian passport to board Flight 587 and "conducted a suicide mission" with a small bomb...

I recieved this as an email and thought it was something everyone should read. Hope you enjoy. \Just passing this on. Don't know if you've seen this .......good reading. Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it? Did you know his trial is over? Did you know he was sentenced? Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV/Radio? Didn't think so. Everyone should hear what the judge had to say. Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. District Court. Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 12 — Several men believed to be American citizens have been taken into custody here during the past few weeks on suspicion of being linked to Al Qaeda, senior Pakistani officials said today. The Pakistani officials said most of the men had been picked up along with other suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban members in joint American-Pakistani raids in the country's remote tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan. They said they believe that the men form a disjointed network of disaffected Westerners who converted to Islam and have been drawn to militant causes, fighting alongside Al...

'Shoe Bomb' Explosives Found on Moroccan Airliner Click here for Fox News article Thursday, September 26, 2002 PARIS - Explosives of the same type as found on alleged shoe bomber Richard Reid were discovered on a Moroccan jet after passengers left the flight at an airport in eastern France, authorities said Thursday. Officials said there was enough explosive material to blow up a plane. There was no detonator attached to the 3 ounces of explosives discovered in the passenger section of a Royal Air Maroc airplane on Wednesday night after it landed at the Metz-Nancy-Lorraine airport, according to police. Judicial...

United States Court of Appeals For the First Circuit --------------------------------------------------------- No. 03-1159 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellee, v. RICHARD C. REID, Defendant, Appellant. --------------------------------------------------------- APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS [Hon. William G. Young, Chief U.S. District Judge] --------------------------------------------------------- Before Boudin, Chief Judge, Lynch and Howard, Circuit Judges. ------------------------------------------------------ Owen S. Walker, with whom Elizabeth L. Prevett and the Federal Defender Office were on brief, for appellant. Gary S. Katzmann, Assistant U.S. Attorney, with whom Michael J. Sullivan, U.S. Attorney, Gerard T. Leone, Jr., First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Timothy Q. Feeley and Colin...

London al Qaeda link By Patrick Sawer and Hugh Dougherty, Evening Standard 15 March 2004 A London man is to be questioned over suspicions that he played a key role in the Madrid bombings. Abu Qatada is described as Osama bin Laden's "ambassador" in Europe and is regarded as one of the most dangerous Islamic terrorist leaders being held in Britain. He is said to be connected to one of the men held over the Spanish train bombings which left 200 dead. Anti-terror police will quiz the cleric, who is being held at Belmarsh prison, about his links with that...

ICC Note: While this is not explicitly about persecution, it does play into the issue and highlights one main point. Mr. Reid said at his sentencing, "(my) allegiance (is) to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah, I think I ought not apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country." This highlights what we at ICC deal with on a daily basis. That is, that there is an undeclared war between radical Islam and the West, and Christians are often at the front lines of that war. President Bush...

<p>WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence agencies have launched a worldwide manhunt for al Qaeda's master bombmaker, who may be building a "dirty" bomb and other new devices for terror attacks inside the United States, sources said.</p> <p>U.S. counterterrorism officials told The Post it was new information about the activities of Egyptian-born bomb maker Midhat Mursi, in part, that led the Bush administration to secretly dispatch Department of Energy radiological detection teams to New York and four other cities over New Year's Eve.</p>

<p>January 7, 2004 -- Police in England and Europe are seeking al Qaeda terrorists planning to bomb trans-Atlantic jets departing Paris and London, security sources said yesterday.</p> <p>Two al Qaeda terrorists with American passports and non-Arab physical appearances are believed to be planning assaults on trans-Atlantic flights from London, a U.S. official told The Post.</p>

Jan. 6— Authorities across Europe are searching for a passenger suspected of having links to al Qaeda who failed to show up for an Air France flight on Christmas Eve, ABCNEWS has learned. U.S. law enforcement officials believe the male passenger underwent terrorist training in Afghanistan. The ongoing search for the man — who was traveling with a French passport — is one of the factors contributing to the continuing security jitters about trans-Atlantic flights, officials said. French officials told ABCNEWS the man is feared to have a small bomb whose components might get past airport security. The man had...

LONDON (Reuters) - Security services have "undoubtedly" foiled planned terror attacks by al Qaeda followers in Britain and also probably across Europe, according to the head of the country's anti-terrorist force. Peter Clarke warned, however, there was no room for complacency in the race to stop extremists using skills and links forged in war zones such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya and Georgia from carrying out attacks around the world. "We are absolutely confident we have stopped a lot of terrorist activity. There would have been attacks," Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, told Reuters in an interview. But "there...

LONDON (AFP) - Four men arrested in a vast anti-terrorist sweep by British police were charged with seeking to fund terrorist activities and make bombs and firearms, police said. The four, aged between 23 and 26, were to appear in court on Tuesday to be formally charged, a police spokesman said. "The charges against them relate to allegedly obtaining and possessing money to fund terrorism or possessing articles or material which provide instruction or training to make firearms or explosives," the spokesman said. "The offences are alleged to have taken place on or before December 2." He said two of...

A New Tactic? Dec. 5— Authorities in the United Kingdom are examining a pair of blue socks, which they believe contain key components of an improved explosive device that could be used in future terrorist airline hijackings, intelligence sources told ABCNEWS. Intelligence officials believe the socks were designed to be filled with explosives and tethered and worn around a potential bomber's neck, a source told ABCNEWS. With the explosives concealed in this fashion, a bomber could gain access to an aircraft and assemble the improvised device once on board. The socks were seized during the Nov. 20 arrest of Sajid...

British Muslim Sajid Badat has been remanded in custody after appearing at Bow Street magistrates court in London charged with conspiring with shoe bomber Richard Reid to cause a life-threatening explosion. Badat, 24, of St James Street, Gloucester, was arrested by anti-terrorist police last week in the first of a series of raids nationwide. Badat has been charged with unlawfully and maliciously conspiring with Richard Reid and others to cause an explosion, and two further charges of possessing explosive materials, Scotland Yard said. Reid, 29, who tried to blow up a transatlantic jet with explosives hidden in his footwear, began...

<p>LONDON — British police arrested two terror suspects, including one with suspected links to Al Qaeda, Britain's home secretary said Thursday.</p> <p>Television reports said those links involved convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.</p> <p>The 24-year-old man was arrested in Gloucester, western England, after police evacuated 119 nearby homes and cordoned off three roads out of fear he may have had explosives, authorities said. London's Metropolitan Police, which assisted in the investigation, said officers recovered a "relatively small amount" of what was described as "explosive material." Police gave no further details.</p>

In Virginia Beach they're into jury selection in the capital murder trial of John Muhammad, one of two implicated in the sniper shootings that terrorized the D.C. area south to Richmond a year ago. The trial may last two months. The trial of his alleged young accomplice, Lee Malvo, is set to begin later in nearby Chesapeake. Muhammad, who has pleaded not guilty, may be found innocent. But circumstantial evidence of his involvement abounds. In the realm of motive — if Muhammad participated in or helped plan the sniper shootings, why? — the principal piece of evidence, apparently carrying telltale...

On September 11th, 2002, suspected Sniper John Allen Muhammad walked into the Camden, New Jersey State Motor Vehicles office, to register the now-notorious "blue Caprice" he'd just purchased. Though the car had not yet converted been into a rolling sniper's nest, what happened in the next several minutes leaves little doubt that Muhammad had something sinister in mind. The registration transaction began at 8:52 am. At 8:58 am., while Muhammad was still standing at the counter, someone (now believed to be fellow suspect, Lee Malvo) phoned a bomb threat at the Motor Vehicles office on the 1st Anniversary of what...

A Junior al-Qaeda . . .: . . . right here at home There are a lot of Baptist churches along rural Virginia's Route 615, just south of Appomattox-"where America reunited," as the county welcome sign puts it-but there's only one Sheikh Gilani Lane. A gate and a guardhouse prevent the public from driving very far down it. What lies beyond, however, isn't a closed-off community of rich retirees. Instead, it's a trailer-park compound of black Muslims, or "The Muslims of America," according to a green billboard by the entrance, where an armed guard keeps a wary eye on the ...

 DefenseWatch  "The Voice of the Grunt"  Special Report: Protect Home Base First  ARTICLE 02 October 30, 2002Examine Gunman's Possible Ties to al FurqaBy Christian M. WeberIn the Middle East today, we see a young generation of Muslims being trained to hate Israel and the West while cherishing the thought of martyrdom. It is easy to see the brutal path that has been chosen for these children. However, for those not schooled in this path of destruction, the road to terrorism usually takes on one of two forms.The first form includes Islamic extremists, such as Osama Bin Laden, who rose...

Sniper suspect John Muhammad fits the profile of a disaffected outcast who becomes increasingly radicalized under the influence of Islamism, say terrorism analysts and investigators, who suspect he is connected with the radical Islamist group, al-Fuqra. According to Christian M. Weber, contributing editor for Soldiers for the Truth, an organization headed by Col. David Hackworth, Muhammad seems to follow the model of John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid and Jose Padilla, men exposed to Islamism who become disenchanted with the movement's pace and progress and who take the road to jihad. "As one traces John Muhammad's life from his conversion to...

Al-Fuqra Holy Warriors of Terrorism Introduction For over ten years, a secretive Black Muslim sect in the United States and Canada has sought to carry out a self-declared policy of "jihad," or holy war, by taking violent action against its perceived enemies, generally other minorities or other Muslims with whom they disagree. The sect, known as Al-Fuqra, has been linked by law enforcement officials to terrorist violence in Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, the Pacific-northwest and Canada. Most recently, attention has been focused on the group in connection with a plot to bomb public sites in New York, including the United Nations,...

Al-Fuqra tied to Colorado crimes Leader owned land in Buena Vista; followers convicted in bombing of Krishna temple By Charlie Brennan, News Staff Writer The radical Islamic leader linked to the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has been tied to a wide range of illegal activity throughout Colorado. Through a broad-based investigation launched in 1989, Colorado authorities convicted four members of the al-Fuqra movement on a series of felonies including racketeering, forgery, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and the 1984 firebombing of a Hare Krishna temple in Denver. Those who helped lead those investigations said the Pakistani-based ...

Federal authorities are investigating whether accused snipers John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo had ties to a growing sect of militant American Muslims committed to waging holy war against the United States. Law-enforcement authorities yesterday said investigators want to know whether the suspects — now awaiting separate murder trials in Virginia — were involved with Jamaat al-Fuqra, a militant Muslim group with documented ties to international terrorism that has been linked to 13 slayings and 17 firebombings in the United States and Canada. The al-Fuqra network, through an offshoot group known as the Muslims of America, has established a...

<p>THERE are a lot of Baptist churches along rural Virginia's Route 615, just south of Appomattox - "where America reunited," as the county welcome signs put it - but there's only one Sheikh Gilani Lane. A gate and a guardhouse prevent the public from driving down it. What lies beyond is a trailer-park compound of black Muslims.</p>

US sniper 'linked to terror cult' By James Langton in New York, Evening Standard 14 October 2003 Evidence has emerged linking Washington sniper John Allen Muhammad with an Islamic terror group. Muhammad has been connected to Al Fuqra, a cult devoted to spiritual purification through violence. The group has been linked to British shoe bomber Richard Reid and the murderers of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan last year. Muhammad today stands trial for murder after bringing terror to America's suburbs along with a 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Malvo. Until now many believed that the killing spree, which left 10 dead,...

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. Suspect confesses links to shoe-bomber By ELIZABETH BRYANT, United Press International United Press International February 10, 2002, Sunday 10:00 AM Eastern Time PARIS, Feb. 10 A man arrested in France last week for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on a French cathedral has reportedly confessed to having met two prominent terrorist suspects at the same Afghan training camp in 2000: Zacarias Moussaoui and shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Yacine Aknouche, 27, also told French investigators he met suspected terrorist Ahmed Ressam during another stint in ...

Paris, Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Reid, the man accused of trying to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes on an American Airlines Inc. flight last month, had support across Europe, Agence France-Presse said, citing a source close to the investigation. Investigators found emails sent by Reid to various European destinations, the news agency reported. French police seized hard drives from the Happy Call Internet cafe in Paris, which Reid visited before boarding a Paris-Miami flight on Dec. 22, AFP said. In several emails, Reid called himself a ``martyr for the Islamic cause,'' AFP said, citing French regional newspaper ...

Was Richard Reid, the Briton indicted this week on charges of attempted murder -- after failing to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami on Dec. 22 -- the first shoe bomber? DEBKA-Net-Weekly reports a spreading conviction among aviation and counter-terror experts that he was Shoe Bomber No. 2, and that American Airlines Flight 587 was brought down 40 days earlier over Queens, N.Y., by Shoe Bomber No. 1. Their argument springs from a simple question: Why did not Reid simply lock himself in the bathroom and ignite the fuse to the bomb without risk of interference? ...

FBI agents are investigating the possibility that the shoe bomber Richard Reid was trying to mark the anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing with a suicide attack. He first tried to board a Paris to Miami flight on Friday, Dec 21, the 13th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people in 1988. But it was not until 24 hours later that he managed to get a flight on the American Airlines service carrying 197 people. The 28-year-old Briton tried to bring down the airliner with a highly volatile explosive that could have gone off at ...

<p>January 20, 2002 -- Accused shoe bomber Richard Reid allegedly sent an e-mail to supporters across Europe in which he revealed his plan to blow up a Paris-to-Miami airliner and die a "martyr in the cause of Islam."</p> <p>The 28-year-old Briton asked that his note be published after the mission succeeded, French news reports said.</p>

The alleged "shoe bomber" Richard Reid bought material for explosive devices from a dealer he found on the internet and built them into "trainer bombs" himself, it was claimed today. The 28-year-old told the FBI he spent $1,500 (£1000) on the plastic-explosives component PETN during a visit to Amsterdam just days before he allegedly tried to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami, according to Agence France Presse. Dutch secret service spokesman Vincent van Steen confirmed that it was "very probable" Mr Reid was in the country's capital recently. Meanwhile there were reports today that US government ...

Airline 'shoe' terrorist converted to Islam in jail His mosque in Brixton fears al-Qaeda links THE man accused of smuggling bombs concealed in his shoes on to an American aircraft is a small-time British criminal who converted to Islam behind bars. A possible link to Osama bin Laden emerged when The Times discovered that the alleged bomber, Richard Reid, 28, who was identified by British police from fingerprints sent by the FBI, was a worshipper at a London mosque also attended by one of the suspected conspirators of September 11. The leader of Brixton Mosque in South London said that ...

<p>December 26, 2001 -- The "shoe bomber" who tried to blow up an American Airlines jet was once a member of an extremist Islamic group with suspected ties to Osama bin Laden - but quit because it wasn't radical enough, a report said yesterday.</p>

ARACHI, Pakistan — The nursery where they killed him, one year on, is oddly peaceful. Lush mango, palm and pomegranate trees are in bloom, their thick, green leaves whispering in a gentle breeze.The cinder-block storehouse where he was executed is empty, save for some flower pots, a cot and crumpled packs of cigarettes strewn across the floor. The 10-foot by 15-foot main room still has a metal door and metal shutters that can be padlocked. Sounds of life reach the room: birds chirping and cars driving past to a nearby religious school run by Al Rashid Trust, an organization...

Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. District Court Judge William Young made the following statement in sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison. It is noteworthy, and deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts. I commend it to you and to anyone you might wish to forward it to. January 30, 2003 United States vs. Reid. Judge Young: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you. On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2,...

Hey, gang! Just got this in an email from my husband at work. He said he just got it from an old AF buddy in Virginia who it it from...? Anyway, as they say, submitted for your approval: -------------------------------------------------- JUDGE WILLIAM YOUNG, SENTENCES THE SHOE BOMBER US District Court Judge William Young made the following statement in sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison. It is noteworthy, and deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts. I commend it to you and anyone you might wish to forward it to. (I hope you will read every word! Pray for...

<p>Title: Impressive statement regarding terrorism. As US Memorial Day approaches, it is inspiring to read the words of Judge William Young... Would that other sources/agencies/outlets recognized terrorism for what it is!!</p> <p>YOUNG: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.</p>

Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. District Court Judge William Young made the following statement in sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison. It is noteworthy, and deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts. I commend it to you and to anyone you might wish to forward it to. January 30, 2003 United States vs. Reid. Judge Young: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you. On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2,...

 I was impressed by the words of the judge who sentenced Richard Reid, the shoe bomber who couldn't manage to blow himself up aboard a trans-Atlantic flight. But not impressed in the way the judge doubtless intended.     Imposing a life sentence on this all-around loser — a light sentence, indeed, considering the death and destruction the defendant had hoped to wreak — The Hon. William Young swept aside the wannabe bomber's threats of revenge:     "We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators," His Honor told the would-be mass killer. "We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. You...

Richard Reid, the Al Qaeda follower who tried to blow up a transatlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes, was sentenced to life in prison yesterday by a judge who warned him: "We are not afraid ... we are Americans." The 29-year-old British citizen cried, "You will be judged by Allah!" before being dragged from the courtroom in handcuffs. Minutes before sentencing, Reid told the court he was unapologetic for his actions because he was "at war" with the United States. U.S. District Judge William Young pointed to the American flag behind him and said: "You see that flag,...

Top Stories - AP Shoe Bomb Suspect Sentencing Hearing Set By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer BOSTON - To prosecutors, Richard Reid is a terrorist who shows no remorse for trying to blow up a jetliner with 197 people aboard. Defense lawyers contend he is a troubled man who was trying to defend his religion. AP Photo The arguments were expected to play out on Thursday at the sentencing of Reid, who admitted attempting to blow up the Miami-bound American Airlines jet by using explosives packed inside his shoes. He faces 60 years to life in prison. U.S. District...

Federal investigators are wrestling with everything from the rights of a minor to a third suspect to finding credible witnesses in the Va./Md. sniper case, but they are also investigating ties to terrorism. Muhammad and Malvo are said to have met on the island of Antigua, and The Washington Post reports that a panel of four members, appointed by the Feds, began an investigation of possible links between John Muhammad and Richard C. Reid, the "Shoe Bomber" who tried to blow up a plane on its way from Paris to Antigua last year. The Post writes: "Brian Gonsalves, Antigua's director...

Qatada ... went on run in people carrier ARMED anti-terror detectives have arrested the man described as Osama bin Laden’s “ambassador to Europe”. Hardline cleric Abu Qatada was seized in a raid on a London flat.The 42-year-old has been accused by eight countries of being a pivotal figure in the al-Qa’ida network. He was also dubbed “Britain’s most wanted man” following the September 11 strikes.But last month French security accused MI5 of “hiding” Qatada and his family in a safe house in northern England.He had not been seen for ten months since he went on the run from his...

RICHARD REID, the British shoe-bomber who yesterday admitted trying to blow up a transatlantic airliner, is still refusing to divulge his terrorist links in Britain. His guilty plea yesterday at a Boston court meant that he was not questioned about who first recruited him in the UK, nor who planned and funded his attempt to blow up a packed passenger airliner. Intelligence chiefs in Europe fear these questions will never be answered. Investigators are sure that he was not operating alone, but British detectives have not been allowed to question 29-year-old Reid about how he went from being a petty...

<p>Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday rejected a bid by Richard C. Reid to plead guilty to attempting to blow up a commercial airliner in exchange for an agreement to drop charges that he was an al Qaeda-trained terrorist.</p> <p>"Richard Reid, like any defendant, is free to plead guilty to criminal charges. The Justice Department has not entered into any plea agreement with Reid," Mr. Ashcroft said in a statement. "The Justice Department stands by each and every allegation in the indictment.</p>

'Jihad Johnny' Linked to Flt. 63 Shoe Bomber America's Tailban traitor "Jihad Johnny" Walker and Flight 63 shoe bomber Richard Reid were recruited to do Osama bin Laden's dirty work by the same extremist Muslim group currently operating all over the globe to build an anti-Western army to fight jihad, one Mideast expert contended Friday. "The French newspaper La Provence reported Tuesday that Reid had been an acolyte of Tabligh-i-Jamaat," reports Islamic scholar Steven Schwartz in the New York Post. "U.S. media disclosed last week that Walker had been recruited by a San Francisco cell of the same group." Schwartz ...

Seattle militants investigated for possible ties to al-Qaida Additionally, federal investigators believe members of the group scouted a ranch in southern Oregon as a potential site for a terrorist training camp. About 15 of the militants visited the sagebrush-covered property near Bly, Ore., in fall 1999 to participate in target practice, and two men from Abu Hamza's mosque visited the ranch later that year, sources say. That account was supported by a relative of one of the men under investigation. The investigation comes to light as Attorney General John Ashcroft is warning that al-Qaida maintains a "hidden but active presence"...

Who Built Reid's Shoes?BY ELAINE SHANNON/WASHINGTON Monday, Feb. 25, 2002People who make a living taking bombs apart don't scare easily. But the FBI laboratory experts who dissected Richard Reid's black suede sneakers were horrified by what they found in the soles: bombs that were, as one agent says, "the first of their kind and extraordinarily well concealed." Each shoe contained about 4 oz. of PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate), a powerful explosive produced by the ton for military and construction use. Some was mixed with a plasticizer to produce a substance that resembled putty. More was in short lengths of detonation cord, ...