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"Two Houston men charged with aiding Taliban"
Houston Chronicle ^ | Nov. 28, 2006 | CINDY GEORGE
Posted on 11/28/2006 5:12:13 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "One of two Houston men accused of training to fight with the Taliban pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court.
Kobie Diallo Williams, 33, a U.S. citizen who was a student at the University of Houston Downtown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist a terrorist group. His help included withdrawing cash from an ATM to send to the Middle East.
Another man, Adnan Babar Mirza, 29, a Pakistani national who was in the country on an expired student visa, faces a similar conspiracy charges as well as three federal weapons violations. Mirza appeared today before a U.S. magistrate judge.
Mirza became illegal when his visa expired. Someone holding a student visa or in the country illegally is not allowed to have firearms.
In court, Williams admitted that he viewed coalition forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as invaders. He had expressed a desire to travel to the Middle East to help the Taliban. Williams also admitted to handing over money that was supposed to help Taliban fighters and their families.
"We knew that you couldn't get money to the Taliban," Williams told U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr., adding that he gave $350 to "a gentleman."
"Adnan informed us that there was a hospital that most of the families go to," Williams said.
"What families?," Werlein asked.
"Widows and children," Williams said.
To prepare as a fighter, Williams said he used various firearms at shooting ranges and campgrounds in Harris, Walker and Montgomery counties including at Sam Houston National Forest.
Williams, a thick-bearded man dressed in a white dress shirt and black slacks, told the judge that he was studying computer science with a minor in mathematics at UH after earning an associate's degree in electrical engineering technology."
Note: The following press release is a quote:
http://houston.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/ho112806.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRM
NOVEMBER 28, 2006 (202) 514-2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888
TWO CHARGED IN PLAN TO AID TALIBAN
HOUSTON, Texas - An indictment has been brought against a U.S. citizen and a Pakistani in the country on an expired student visa for planning to aid the Taliban, U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
Kobie Diallo Williams, also known as Abdul Kabeer and Abdul Kabir, 33, a U.S. citizen and Houston resident, and Adnan Babar Mirza, 29, a Pakistani national who overstayed a student visa, are charged with conspiring to train with firearms with a goal to fight with the Taliban against coalition forces in the Middle East and providing approximately $350 in cash to support terrorist groups. Mirza is also charged with three violations of federal firearms law. The four count indictment was returned under seal by a Houston grand jury on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006, and unsealed today after the appearance of both men before a U.S. magistrate judge.
"In this post 9/11 era, threats against our international security efforts are taken most seriously," said U.S. Attorney DeGabrielle.
"While these subjects did not operate at a high level of sophistication in comparison with the 9/11 hijackers, the expressed goal was to aid the Taliban by training to carry out jihad against coalition troops in the Middle East," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Roderick Beverly.
Kobie Diallo Williams surrendered himself to members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) today, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006. Adnan Babar Mirza, who has been in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on related immigration violations, was transferred into the custody of JTTF agents this morning. Both Williams and Mirza have been ordered to remain in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings.
According to allegations in the indictment, Williams and Mirza, a citizen of Pakistan who entered the United States on a student visa on Aug. 15, 2001, allegedly viewed the United States and coalition military forces on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq as invaders and in April 2005 agreed that they should travel to the Middle East to fight with the Taliban to engage in battlefield jihad.
To hone their skills in anticipation for battlefield jihad, the indictment alleges Williams and Mirza agreed to train with firearms at various locations located in Harris and surrounding counties. On at least eight occasions between May 20, 2005, and June 17, 2006, the men engaged in firearms training, and at times in reconnaissance training.
As part of and during the alleged conspiracy, Williams and Mirza are accused of agreeing to offer financial support to Taliban fighters and their families. Federal law prohibits contributions of goods or services to the Taliban, one of several specially designated global terrorist organizations. Williams allegedly provided support - $200 on or about June 28, 2005, and another $150 on May 25, 2006 - intended for Taliban members or their families.
As a student visa holder, Mirza is prohibited from possessing firearms. Furthermore, once his student visa expired on Dec.12, 2005, Mirza's status changed to that of being illegally in the United States. Illegal aliens are also prohibited from possessing firearms. The indictment charges Mirza in three counts of unlawfully possessing firearms during three firearms training sessions occurring in May 2005, March 2006 and May 2006 (Counts Two through Four).
If convicted of the conspiracy charge set forth in Count One, Williams and Mirza face a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and three years supervised release. Each of the three firearms alleged against Mirza in Counts Two through Four carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and three years supervised release, upon conviction.
The investigation resulting in the charges was led by the Houston Division of the FBI and the agency's JTTF with participation by: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Houston Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Sheriff's Offices of San Jacinto and Montgomery Counties. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shelley J. Hicks and Glenn Cook are prosecuting the case.
An indictment or an information is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.