Below is an interview of his lawyers in the Albany imam case. The defense lawyer explains that you have to look at the broader ranger of prosecutions to see the pattern.
http://216.240.133.177/archives32/Chossudovsky/2008/06/Chossudovsky_060208_120000.mp3
Al-Timimi’s friend, the Syracuse doctor, gave money each year to the group renamed Ansar. This Albany imam was connected to Ansar. Mullah Krekar, according to the diary excerpts in the sentencing memo (if I am recallling correctly) wanted the Syracuse doctor to set up a center here. The diary indicates the Albany imam in 1999 wanted to bring the fight here.
So when you hear that Al-Timimi is the celebrated speaker of IANA and that the Syracuse mosque president was asked to set up a center for Mullah Krekar in the US, you can see the possible reason for the government’s aggressive stance. Ansar al-Islam was set up by four senior EIJ leaders in the Fall of 2001 out of an amalgamation of Salafi groups. One of the four was Taha, the blind sheik’s successor. Ayman Zawahiri had sent Taha and the others.
In the Yassin Aref case in Albany, prosecutors relied on classified evidence. As in Al-Timimi’s case until recently, even though the defense counsel had the relevant security clearance, he was not allowed to see it. That case involved a sting operation involving money laundering relating to the purchase of a stinger missile.
Questioning from the bench on appeal suggests there is a possibility that it will be reversed as to one defendant pizza parlor owner on the grounds of entrapment, possibly requiring a new trial. In the event of a new trial, it is worth considering whether the federal district court in the Northern District of New York would now be persuaded by Judge Brinkema’s ruling in the Al-Timimi case.
I thought the Aref case was sympathetic in that imam Aref did not understand english well and was just serving in the role of a notary under islamic law. Even the other defendant, a pizza store owner, was focused on making $5,000 to renovate his business. But in the government’s sentencing memo, as I recall it, there were some pretty stark things from the Albany imam’s diary about his support for bringing the jihad to America. Separately a letter was seized that sought the Syracuse doctor’s help in establishing a center here for Mullah Krekar in association with Al-Timimi’s friend Dhafir in Syracuse.
The Albany imam has a book. The book is about his life as a Kurd and his struggle for justice. Here is an article giving the view of supporters.
http://atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/4016/32/
While it is easy to fault the Administration, they did not have an easy job of sorting things out. Ansar al Islam allegedly was penetrated at the senior level by Iraqi intelligene by a fellow named Wael. Michael Scheuer has claimed in a television interview that it is a certainty that Ansar was experimenting with both ricin and anthrax. Al-Timimi’s father worked for the Iraqi embassy. It will be interesting to see what more we learn from the prosecutions and appeals moving forward this year.
I admire the work that the supporters of the defendants in these prosecutions do. But I would be more likely to be swayed if someone addressed the entries in the diary. I am not up to speed on the details of the case and don’t have the URL handy for the sentencing memo which was uploaded. But from the linked article and interview, I don’t see that the supporters have addressed this issue. That issue, which might not go to the legal errors raised, bears on the equities.
The Gitmo (September?) trial line-up:
KSM head of the cell planning follow-up anthrax and dirty bomb attacks
Ramzi bin al-Shibh said by Tenet in passing to have had a CBRN role but unclear what role would have been. He used the Jenny code with Atta.
Walid bin Attash at the January 2000 meeting in Kuala Lumpur at anthrax lab tech’s Yazid Sufaat’s condo. Would be trusted to have a key operational role.
Ali Abd al- Aziz Ali (al-Balucchi), Mohammed’s nephew and alleged deputy - married Aafia who AUSA who said would participate in anthrax attack if asked; successor to KSM upon KSM’s arrest, al-Balucchi was arrested after meeting with chemistry professor
Mustafa Ahmed al- Hawsawi - KSM’s assistant; anthrax spraying documents were on his laptop; docs on laptop included info re Yemeni cell members
The proceedings will be on a 20-second delay in order to prevent any classified information from being disclosed. The arraignment seems to have been quite relaxed, with the defendants chatting between themselves and KSM acting very poised, telling the presiding officer saying he’s been looking forward to getting the death penalty. KSM will act as his own counsel.