Iraqi arrested at Twin Cities airport indicted (Ali Mohammed Abboud Almosaleh Update)

An Iraqi man arrested this month at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for immigration law violations was charged Wednesday with lying to authorities about his travels outside the United States and about anti-American material he was carrying. When Ali Mohammed Abboud Almosaleh, 40, arrived at the airport on a flight from Amsterdam July 7, he told customs officers he had been out of the country for one month and had traveled to Syria, court documents said. But he actually had been gone for five months and had visited Iraq. He told officers that his digital video discs with images of militant Iraqi Iman Muqtada Al-Sadr and his militia, accompanied by calls for resistance against the United States, were "just music," the documents said. Almosaleh also had video images of Saddam Hussein and the invasion of Iraq. A law enforcement official has said Almosaleh was carrying a note that hinted at public suicide. Authorities are trying to determine whether Almosaleh's activities might be terrorism-related. The court documents didn't say whether the Twin Cities area was his final destination. Last month, a Minneapolis man with suspected connections to Al-Qaida was indicted on charges of making false statements. Mohamad Elzahabi, 41, a Lebanese man suspected of having Al-Qaida connections, was charged with lying to federal agents after saying that he didn't send walkie-talkies to Pakistan. Elzahabi, who lived in Minneapolis, is also charged with lying about his role in helping a man fraudulently obtain a Massachusetts driver's license. Elzahabi is accused of attending a jihad military training camp, fighting in Afghanistan in 1988 and 1989 and acting as a sniper, according to court documents. He has not been charged with plotting a terrorist act. FBI spokesman Paul McCabe declined to comment on Almosaleh's case other than to say it is under investigation. U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger wouldn't say whether there were any terrorist connections in the case. He said that the charges are supported by fact and the law and that his office doesn't charge somebody unless they plan to prosecute. "Mr. Almosaleh will have his day in court," he said. "The case remains under investigation. If additional information surfaces, we will consider if it warrants a superseded indictment." Robert Chesney, a professor at Wake Forest School of Law whose work focuses on terrorism-related prosecutions, said he would fully expect a superseded indictment in the Elzahabi case. But with Almosaleh, it's not so clear what might come next, he said. "What the U.S. attorney has done in these cases isn't sneaky or improper," Chesney said. "Since the Sept. 11 attacks, doing this has been a useful way to handle cases that sometimes develop slowly. But it's not unique to the war on terrorism." Almosaleh's initial hearing last week in connection with his immigration law violations was closed to the public at his request. He is charged with misrepresenting information when he applied for a permit to come to the United States and not having valid documents to come into the country, said Greg Gagne, spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Almosaleh's next hearing in the immigration case is Aug. 12. Heffelfinger said he expects him to appear before a federal magistrate on the false statement charges in a few days. Dick Zonneveld, who represented Almosaleh for his immigration charges, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Hope this helps....
Semper Fi

Iraqi arrested at Twin Cities airport indicted; allegedly had lied to authorities
David Chanen, Star Tribune
July 29, 2004 ALMO0729

An Iraqi man arrested this month at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for immigration law violations was charged Wednesday with lying to authorities about his travels outside the United States and about anti-American material he was carrying.

When Ali Mohammed Abboud Almosaleh, 40, arrived at the airport on a flight from Amsterdam July 7, he told customs officers he had been out of the country for one month and had traveled to Syria, court documents said. But he actually had been gone for five months and had visited Iraq.

He told officers that his digital video discs with images of militant Iraqi Iman Muqtada Al-Sadr and his militia, accompanied by calls for resistance against the United States, were "just music," the documents said. Almosaleh also had video images of Saddam Hussein and the invasion of Iraq.

A law enforcement official has said Almosaleh was carrying a note that hinted at public suicide. Authorities are trying to determine whether Almosaleh's activities might be terrorism-related.

The court documents didn't say whether the Twin Cities area was his final destination.

Last month, a Minneapolis man with suspected connections to Al-Qaida was indicted on charges of making false statements. Mohamad Elzahabi, 41, a Lebanese man suspected of having Al-Qaida connections, was charged with lying to federal agents after saying that he didn't send walkie-talkies to Pakistan. Elzahabi, who lived in Minneapolis, is also charged with lying about his role in helping a man fraudulently obtain a Massachusetts driver's license.

Elzahabi is accused of attending a jihad military training camp, fighting in Afghanistan in 1988 and 1989 and acting as a sniper, according to court documents. He has not been charged with plotting a terrorist act.

FBI spokesman Paul McCabe declined to comment on Almosaleh's case other than to say it is under investigation. U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger wouldn't say whether there were any terrorist connections in the case. He said that the charges are supported by fact and the law and that his office doesn't charge somebody unless they plan to prosecute.

"Mr. Almosaleh will have his day in court," he said. "The case remains under investigation. If additional information surfaces, we will consider if it warrants a superseded indictment."

Robert Chesney, a professor at Wake Forest School of Law whose work focuses on terrorism-related prosecutions, said he would fully expect a superseded indictment in the Elzahabi case. But with Almosaleh, it's not so clear what might come next, he said.

"What the U.S. attorney has done in these cases isn't sneaky or improper," Chesney said. "Since the Sept. 11 attacks, doing this has been a useful way to handle cases that sometimes develop slowly. But it's not unique to the war on terrorism."

Almosaleh's initial hearing last week in connection with his immigration law violations was closed to the public at his request. He is charged with misrepresenting information when he applied for a permit to come to the United States and not having valid documents to come into the country, said Greg Gagne, spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Almosaleh's next hearing in the immigration case is Aug. 12. Heffelfinger said he expects him to appear before a federal magistrate on the false statement charges in a few days.

Dick Zonneveld, who represented Almosaleh for his immigration charges, couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

David Chanen is at dchanen@startribune.com.

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