Posted on 06/25/2004 4:43:47 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Lebanese man who says he attended an al-Qaida training camp was charged Friday with lying to federal authorities about shipments of communications equipment seized by the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Mohamad Kamal Elzahabi, 41, was charged in a U.S. District Court in Minnesota, one of several places he's lived in the United States. A federal judge in New York, where Elzahabi has been held since his arrest in May, held a hearing for Elzahabi and ordered him transferred to Minneapolis to face two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.
A criminal complaint by FBI Agent Kiann VanDenover of Minneapolis said Elzahabi operated a business in New York from 1995 through 1997 and received shipments of field radios and walkie-talkies suitable for use in rural areas without telephone service.
Field radios of the same make and model were recovered by U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, the complaint said.
Elzahabi lied when he denied knowing what was in the shipments and also lied when he denied helping somebody fraudulently obtain a Massachusetts driver's license by using Elzahabi's address, according to federal officials.
Neither of Elzahabi's charges was related to terrorism, but the complaint said Elzahabi became acquainted during the 1980s and 1990s with several people who became top al-Qaida leaders.
The complaint said that Elzahabi voluntarily told U.S. authorities he first traveled to Afghanistan about 1988, where he attended a training camp for terrorists. There, he met Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian believed to be directing attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.
Elzahabi traveled again to Afghanistan in 1991 and became acquainted with Abu Zubaydah, a senior al-Qaida associate who appeared to have been an organizer of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Elzahabi returned to the United States in 1995, moved to New York City and operated an axle repair business until early 1997, the complaint said.
He lived in Boston in 1997 and 1998.
Elzahabi told federal officials he was a sniper in 1999 and 2000 for insurgents fighting the Russian government in Chechnya. He moved to Minneapolis in mid-August 2001.
Really? Ship him over to Moscow and let Putin's boys talk to him. I doubt that he'd have to worry about wearing panties on his head.
Send him to the Kremlin and let them deal with him. Let's see the U.N. and the international human rights people bitch about that.
This a great find.
There could be a lot tie ins here.
Thanks!
This could be a big one that is hid on the back burners.
Thanks, I try. This could be big.
For your info and ping lists.
I volunteer to help fly him over to Russia. Just let me have a lot of Versed IV and Morphine IV to make his trip comfortable for him. He will talk a lot and forget what he said.
Ping.
Elzahabi told federal officials he was a sniper in 1999 and 2000 for insurgents fighting the Russian government in Chechnya.
"Elzahabi also spent time in Afghanistan from 1991-1995. At the time, he taught at terrorist training camps. He admits to knowing Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, who was a senior al Qaeda associate, until caught by US forces in 2003.
Elzahabi returned to the US in 1995, seeking medical treatment for gunshot wounds to the abdomen. He lived in New York City and later in Boston. He continued to maintain terrorist contacts.
The complaint also alleges Elzahabi helped another person, Raed Hijazi, obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license with a false address. The complaint alleges that Elzahabi allowed Hijazi to use his address, and took him to the driver’s examination station to assist him in receiving a license.
Elzahabi is from Lebanon. He came to the United States in 1984 on a student visa. He admitted to federal investigators that he paid a Houston woman to marry him, in order to gain a green card. He divorced the woman 1988, after receiving the green card. The woman has admitted to fraud in the case.
In 1998-2001, Elzahabi traveled from the United States to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya while helping train more terrorists.
In August 2001, Elzahabi returned to the United States and moved to Minneapolis."
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_177180852.html
Like Zach. Moussoui, Minnesota law enforcement gets it right.
Nice friends he has, eh ??? .....The complaint said that Elzahabi voluntarily told U.S. authorities he first traveled to Afghanistan about 1988, where he attended a training camp for terrorists. There, he met Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian believed to be directing attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.
Elzahabi traveled again to Afghanistan in 1991 and became acquainted with Abu Zubaydah, a senior al-Qaida associate who appeared to have been an organizer of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Elzahabi returned to the United States in 1995, moved to New York City and operated an axle repair business until early 1997, the complaint said.
>>Elzahabi returned to the US in 1995, seeking medical treatment for gunshot wounds to the abdomen.
well, that's pretty wierd too. Wonder where/how he was shot?
>>Elzahabi returned to the US in 1995, seeking medical treatment for gunshot wounds to the abdomen.<<
Good find! Let us know if you find out?
Obviously, he was involved in some Kerrorist, excuse me, Terrorist activity and got blasted.
Most interesting! Someday I hope to read many books and articles that tell the WHOLE story about things like this.
IMO, we have far more sleeper cells here than most people think. Steven Emerson's book would seem to indicate we were asleep at the switch while these people were slowing worming their way into our society.
This guy seems to have been involved in some serious Kerrorist, excuse me, Terrorist activities.
Well, maybe you can write such a book.
We were asleep at the switch thanks to the Clintoons.
Their attorney general and Jamie Gorelick prevent our FBI and CIA from investigating Islamofascist Terrorists on our soil. They were busy investigating evil Christians, Jews for Israel and any conservative who wasn't a Christian or real Jew.
Then the mediots helped the Clintoons to hide the real danger like the basic burying of the first bombing attempt on the World Trade Center.
NYC, Boston, and Minneapolis. Quelle suprise.
It is my belief that Gorelick strengthened "The Wall" between our intel agencies in order to protect Clinton from serious investigation into illegal campaign donations from China, impede serious investigation into the OKC bombing, the WTC bombing, etc. It's a long and dirty list and a shameful chapter in our nation's history that this was allowed to happen.
Thanks for the ping.
Probably gonna be stuck in the circular file by the newsies.
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