Posted on 05/29/2005 9:18:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (AP) - The FBI arrested a Florida doctor and a New York martial arts expert on federal terrorism charges, saying they conspired to treat and train terrorists, prosecutors announced Sunday.
Rafiq Abdus Sabir, a Boca Raton physician, and Tarik Shah, a self-described martial arts expert in New York, were both charged in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaida, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.
New York police spokesman Paul Browne said Shah was arrested early Friday. Florida authorities said Sabir was arrested Saturday. Both are American citizens.
Prosecutors said Sabir agreed to treat jihadists, or holy warriors, in Saudi Arabia. Shah allegedly agreed to train them in hand-to-hand combat.
The one-count complaint details a two-year sting operation in which the men allegedly took an oath pledging their allegiance to al-Qaida. The government said the men engaged in multiple recorded conversations with a confidential source and an FBI agent posing as an al-Qaida operative.
Both men were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in federal court, Shah in New York and Sabir in Florida, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney David Kelley in Manhattan.
It was not immediately clear who would represent them in court.
Sabir was being held at the Palm Beach County Jail. It was not immediately known where Shah was being held.
If convicted, each man faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
There was no phone listing for Sabir in Boca Raton, Fla. A phone number listed for Shah in Poughkeepsie, N.Y, rang unanswered Sunday evening.
As recently as May 20, during a meeting at a Bronx apartment, Sabir indicated he would travel shortly to Saudi Arabia to treat the wounds of jihadists at a Saudi military base, prosecutors said. Travel records showed he was scheduled to leave Thursday.
During recorded conversations, Shah repeatedly indicated his desire to train Muslim "brothers" in the martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, the release said.
Shah took steps to find secret locations for jihad weapons training, at one point inspecting a Long Island warehouse, and described previous efforts to recruit others, prosecutors said.
Shah allegedly agreed to provide a training syllabus for hand-to-hand combat and a videotape so associates in the Middle East could evaluate his usefulness to the cause. He also described how he and Sabir tried to get to training camps in 1998 in Afghanistan, the release said.
In this photo provided by the Palm Beach Sheriff's Department, shown is Rafiq Abdus Sabir, a Boca Raton, Fla., physician, date and location unknown. Sabir, and Tarik Shah, a self-described martial arts expert in New York, were both charged in Manhattan federal court with conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaida, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York.
Well popping up all over ain't they ?
American Citizens you say?... I believe this is called treason and gets the death penalty.
Yup, like moles in a new lawn.
The ACLU will offer to defend them, I'm sure. There seems to be no shortage of lawyers willing to defend these creeps.
So, the accused doctor was going to treat jihaid patients at Saudi Military bases? Don't we need to charge (or freaking nuke) the Saudis too?
Nuke Mecca!
WHAAAAT!! These are clearly enemy combatents in war time out of uniform...subversives...and should be executed. No damn wonder we have so many al qaeda running loose in the country. There's no down side for their traitorous activities.
I agree...
If the worse case scenario for these "Jihadist" wannabes is to spend a few years in "Club Fed" ---- that's not much to prevent them from plotting the murder of thousands/millions of Americans...
If guilty of conducting or supporting illegal/terrorist acts of warfare against America --- these bastards should be hung in the public square..
The sheetheads will understand and respect that!
Semper Fi
"Hi, this is Tarik. Sorry I can't answer the phone right now, but I'm in a federal holding facility in the city. Please leave a mesage and I'll get back to you in about 15 years. Have a nice day!"
Shouldn't this also have been the fate of JFING SKERRY. Aid and comfort to the enemy.
it seems for every time I hear of one arrest, I hear of another where they dropped the charges... DeLoren comes to mind with the 2 year case work on this one
What the h3ll happened to the crime of treason?
"It was not immediately clear who would represent them in court."
Easy answer. Nobody need represent "illegal combatants."
GITMO is appropriate, for the duration.
They both expressed desires and plans to become involved with this war. They got their wishes.
"So, the accused doctor was going to treat jihaid patients at Saudi Military bases? Don't we need to charge (or freaking nuke) the Saudis too?"
Well if we are to believe what GWB and Dr. Rice tell us, since May 2004 the Saudis are on board with us.
So playing devil's advocate, perhaps the Saudis assisted with this sting?
But if they didn't, and if there is indeed medical care being provided at a Saudi military base, we have big issues with the Crown Prince, for sure.
I hope they are aggresively interrogated then executed. These guys want to make the terrorists who have killed thousands of innocent Americans and more innocent Iraqis better fighters.
Execution is not too harsh imo.
"Am i the only one with problems slamming someone in jail for offering to treat injured people, regardless of the reason they became that way?"
You might just be the only one unable to recognize this may be "treason" for giving "aid and comfort" to the enemy, in other times punishable by death.
War is different than a soccer match, wherein your teammate accidently kicks the ball into your opponents' goal.
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