Two Western Expats Detained in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ("Portland cell" case)

Arab News ^ | December 6, 2003 | Mohammed Alkhereiji

[Shermy]

JEDDAH, 6 December 2003 — Saudi authorities have detained two expatriates for questioning. The two continue to be held in a jail in Jeddah for as yet unspecified reasons, Arab News has learned.

David Heaton, a British national and convert to Islam, and Abdullatif Ibrahim Bilal, a US national, were taken into custody for questioning last Thursday.

“We confirm that David Heaton is currently being detained,” Barry Peach, a spokesman for the British Embassy, told Arab News.

“The embassy has requested a counselor to assist Heaton and has been in touch with his next of kin, but up to now we have no details as to why he’s being detained,” he added.

Abdullatif Ibrahim Bilal’s father said his son was picked up on Thursday, but “I have no idea why. I got in touch with the US Embassy and they acknowledged that he has been detained but they didn’t know why.”

“I just want to know why he was picked up. I know he didn’t do anything,” he added.

The two men were detained immediately after completing a scuba diving course during the month of Ramadan.

Both were teachers.

Colleagues described Heaton as intense in his views.

Bilal is described as “very personable”. “But he is also a great conspiracy theorist, an intelligent guy who rarely strayed away from the subject of the US,” a teaching colleague said.

Bilal is a brother of Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal and Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, who were among the defendants in the so-called “Portland cell” case in the US.

Last September both pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to provide services to the Taleban, and conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.

Ahmed Bilal faces 10 to 14 years in prison, and his brother faces eight to 14 years. They are both scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 9.

[Shermy]

Ping for Portland, Saudi and scuba.

[diamondjoe]

"Abdullatif Ibrahim Bilal’s father said his son was picked up on Thursday, but “I have no idea why. I got in touch with the US Embassy and they acknowledged that he has been detained but they didn’t know why.”"

Um, just a guess, but I think they probably know why.

[blam]

"The two men were detained immediately after completing a scuba diving course during the month of Ramadan."

SOB's.

[geopyg]

Hey, lots of peeople go to Saudi Arabia over Rammadan and go scuba diving, along with the 2-hour lesson in the hotel pool. (Or was that the Bahamas over Christmas?)

[marron]

Actually, for what its worth, some of my buddies used to go to Jeddah maybe one weekend a month to go scuba diving, its the best scuba diving in the world. Or so they say, whereas the Persian Gulf is supposedly pretty boring.

Since Saudi Arabia isn't open to normal tourism, it has prevented the scuba operators there from really developing the business, the only people who go there are the expats working in the kingdom.

[tubavil]

Kill them. No trial. No getting out in 8 to 10 only to coninue their murderous muslim jihad. Start thinking about American lives instead of jihadist "rights."

[Grampa Dave]

Good find.

This father should really be happy.

Two of his sons are in jail here waiting sentencing, and his third is being detained by the Saudis. I think his two bros here, have a better deal.

[Grampa Dave]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/993318/posts

TWO DEFENDANTS IN 'PORTLAND CELL' CASE PLEAD GUILTY (assisting Taliban, weapons charges)
FBI Press Release ^ | 18 September 2003


Posted on 10/01/2003 5:11:07 PM PDT by Stultis


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2003 (202) 514-2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514 - 1888


TWO DEFENDANTS IN 'PORTLAND CELL' CASE PLEAD GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO CONTRIBUTE SERVICES TO THE TALIBAN, FEDERAL WEAPONS CHARGES

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael W. Mosman of the District of Oregon announced today that Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal and Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, two defendants in the so-called "Portland cell" case, have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to provide services to the Taliban, and conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.

As part of their guilty pleas, entered this morning at U.S. District Court in Portland, Oregon, defendants Muhammad Bilal and Ahmed Bilal have agreed to accept responsibility for their criminal conduct and cooperate completely and truthfully with the government's criminal and terrorism investigations, including at grand juries, hearings, trials and military commissions.

The remaining charges against both defendants will be dismissed at the time of sentencing, which will be scheduled after the trial of the remaining defendants in January 2004. Muhammad Bilal faces a probable sentence of 8-14 years at his sentencing. Ahmed Bilal faces a probable sentence of 10-14 years at sentencing.

In the plea agreements, Ahmed and Muhammad Bilal both admit that during the summer of 2001, they and others conducted martial arts training and firearms practice in order to prepare themselves to fight a violent jihad in Afghanistan or some other location at a point in the future. The defendants both admit going with other individuals to rural locations in Oregon to practice military-style shooting. The defendants state that following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by al Qaeda, they both went shooting at a gravel pit in Washougal, Washington, along with co-defendant Patrice Lumumba Ford, who provided a new shotgun for use in training. Ahmed Bilal also admits to shooting with an automatic weapon at the same gravel pit on a second occasion, along with co-defendants Ford, Jeffrey Battle, Habis al Saoub and others.

After the September 11th attacks, the defendants were asked by co-defendant al Saoub to join a group of individuals who planned to travel from Portland to Afghanistan to assist the Taliban in fighting against the armed forces of the United States of America. Ahmed and Muhammad Bilal admit agreeing to do so, and to meeting on several occasions with other members of the group to discuss their plans and preparations.

Both defendants admit that on Oct. 20, 2001, while U.S. military forces were fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, co-defendant Maher Hawash took them and co-defendant Ford to the airport in Portland, where they flew to Hong Kong to meet with others. In the plea agreement, both defendants state that they entered into mainland China, went to Kashgar in Western China, and tried, unsuccessfully, to gain entrance into Pakistan.

Ahmed and Muhammad Bilal were named in a 15-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Portland in May, along with co-defendants Battle, Ford, al Saoub and October Lewis. That superseding indictment, which also charged co-defendant Maher "Mike" Hawash, included charges of conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, conspiracy to contribute services to al Qaeda and the Taliban, conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and money laundering.

Hawash entered a guilty plea in August to a charge of conspiracy to supply services to the Taliban. Hawash has also agreed to cooperate fully with the government and testify if necessary at the trial of the remaining defendants in the "Portland cell" case, scheduled for January 2004.

The investigation of this matter was conducted by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Portland, Oregon.

[aculeus]

Saturday morning bump.

[Grampa Dave]

Pinging you, in case you missed this.

[Grampa Dave]

Good morning to you.

I hope these scumbags have a wonderful day in Saudi land while "detained" over there.

Britain's and our home grown Johnny Jihadists are learning what real war is. It is not the glory their lying mullahs have told them.

[dixiechick2000]

Thanks for the ping, Shermy.

Ahmed Bilal isn't the terrorist who was overseas when the original Portland cell was busted, is he?
IIRC, there was one member of the original Portland 6 who was believed to be in Indonesia, or some such place.
Has he been captured yet?

It's hard to keep all of these terrorists straight. ;o)

[piasa]

Hey, thanks, I'm always up to an update on the Portland and Seattle cells.

The two men were detained immediately after completing a scuba diving course during the month of Ramadan.