Posted on 08/15/2006 11:05:20 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
MARIETTA, Ohio - Prosecutors dropped the terrorism charges against two men arrested after buying large numbers of cell phones, saying Tuesday that they couldn't prove a terrorism link.
The dismissal, in a one-page court document, came the day after Washington County Prosecutor James Schneider said he didn't have enough evidence to present the felony charges to a grand jury.
Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan, both of Dearborn, Mich., left prison after paying a reduced bond on their remaining misdemeanor counts of falsification.
"We know it was just a matter of time. We were just hoping it wouldn't be forever," Abulhassan said. "Everybody knew we were innocent. We knew we were innocent."
The falsification counts stem from allegations that the men gave police false information about why they bought the phones.
Federal authorities told local law enforcement last winter to be on the lookout for people buying large numbers of prepaid cell phones.
In addition to the arrests in Ohio, three Texas men were charged in Michigan this month after nearly 1,000 cell phones were found in a van they were driving.
In the Michigan case, the FBI said Monday that it had no indication that the men had any ties to know terrorist groups. Local prosecutors, however, were standing by the charges. They have not said what they believe the men intended to do with the phones, though officials have said the phones can be used as detonators and the Coast Guard increased its patrols of the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge.
Supporters of the arrested men have said their only purpose was to make money by reselling the phones and that they were targeted because of their Arab backgrounds.
Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan, both of Dearborn, Mich., left prison after paying a reduced bond on their remaining misdemeanor counts of falsification.
Great.
What a load. Track them and see what they are up to.
these panty-waist prosecutors keep it up, we're all going to die.
A fine example of how American law is not equipped to deal with Islamic terrorism. Those two need to be shipped to Gitmo, but instead, they're being released back into public where they can help their Al Qaeda/Hezbollah/Revolutionary Guard masters plot more mayhem.
They'll have to wait for a cell-phone detonated attack in the US first.
Great we are going to have IED's on our city streets.
I swear these people are going to kill us using our justice system and our freedoms.
Hope they tagged em before they released em.
"In the Michigan case, the FBI said Monday that it had no indication that the men had any ties to know terrorist groups."
More "lone nuts". Nothing to see here, move along.
What kind of idiot pays full retail for an item with plans to resell?
And then what idiot would pay more than retail for them?
UNFRICKIN BELIEVABLE
Islam is the link!!!
Nitwits.
But they are just entrepreneurs,, young men trying to eak out a living. It's how folks in their community do things, yaknow.
That's what a spokesman for the Arab American Chamber of Commerce said a couple days ago.
What?????? Prosecutors always have enough evidence for a GJ indictment if its what they want.
Wishful thinking maybe, but the truth is neither of us know if they are or not.
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