Texas Man Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

HOUSTON—A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas returned an indictment today charging Barry Walter Bujol, Jr., with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno and FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Richard C. Powers announced today.

“Protecting the American public from the threat of terrorism, both international and home-grown, is the highest priority of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Moreno. “Proactive investigative efforts and cooperation between the myriad of federal, state and local agencies involved was critical to this case. Continued vigilance to uncover terrorist activity by law enforcement at all levels, including the recruitment of U.S. citizens, is essential to our efforts in preventing this type of activity.”

The indictment charges Bujol, 29, a U.S. citizen and resident of Hempstead, Texas, with attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the form of personnel, currency, pre-paid telephone calling cards, mobile telephone SIM cards, global positioning system receivers, public access-restricted U.S. military publications, including one involving unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations and another involving the effects of U.S. military weapon systems in operations in Afghanistan, as well as a military-issue compass and other materials. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 15 years in prison.

The second count of the two-count indictment charges Bujol with aggravated identity theft, alleging that in furtherance of the material support to a designated terrorist organization charge, he possessed and used a false government-issued identification card. The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is five years in prison, which must be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on other counts.

June 3, 2010

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://houston.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/ho060310.htm

Texas Man Indicted for Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

The charges resulted from a long-term investigation that culminated on May 30, 2010, when Bujol boarded a ship docked at a Houston-area port. According to court documents unsealed today, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force began investigating Bujol in 2008 and determined he had been communicating via e-mail with Anwar al-Aulaqi, a known associate and propagandist for AQAP. Among other things, the court documents allege that Al-Aulaqi had provided Bujol with a document entitled “42 Ways of Supporting Jihad,” and that Bujol had asked Al-Aulaqi for advice on how to provide money to the “mujahideen” overseas. In addition, Bujol made three unsuccessful attempts during February and March 2009 to depart the country and travel overseas to Yemen or the Middle East, according to the court documents.

Beginning in November 2009, the FBI introduced into the investigation a confidential human source (CHS) whom Bujol believed to be an AQAP operative. Over the ensuing months, the court documents allege, Bujol repeatedly expressed to the CHS his desire to travel overseas to fight in violent jihad for AQAP. The CHS provided Bujol with a false identification card provided by the FBI bearing Bujol’s photograph. Bujol used this card to gain access to the secure area of the port with the alleged intention of boarding a ship bound for the Middle East. Afterwards, the CHS gave Bujol currency, pre-paid telephone calling cards, mobile telephone SIM cards, global positioning system receivers, public access-restricted U.S. military publications, including one involving UAV operations and another involving the effects of U.S. military weapon systems in operations in Afghanistan, as well as a military-issue compass and other materials, which Bujol had allegedly agreed to courier to notional AQAP operatives in a Middle Eastern country. Shortly after Bujol boarded the ship with the material, FBI agents arrested him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey has ordered related search warrants for Bujol’s apartment at the Pine Meadows Apartments in Hempstead, Texas, and for his laptop computer unsealed today. Those search warrants were executed on May 30, 2010, as well. The United States has asked the court to hold Bujol in federal custody without bond pending trial. A hearing on the government’s motion is set for Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at 2:00 p.m.

“This arrest is a sobering reminder of the threat we continue to face,” said Special Agent in Charge Powers. “It remains the FBI’s overriding priority to predict and prevent terrorist attacks, at home and abroad.”

This investigation was a joint effort and could not have been as effective without the participation, support and assistance of the following agencies: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas; Department of Justice, Counterterrorism Section; FBI Houston Office; FBI Bryan Resident Agency Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, College Station Police Department, Bryan Police Department, Texas A&M Police Department, Waller County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Secret Service. We are also grateful for the investigative and operational assistance provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Houston Police Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Prairie View A&M University Department of Public Safety, and the New Jersey State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. White III and Gary Cobe, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and Garrett Heenan, Trial Attorney from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/houston/press-releases/2011/texas-man-convicted-of-attempting-to-provide-material-support-to-al-qaeda

Texas Man Convicted of Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda

U.S. Attorney’s Office

November 14, 2011

Southern District of Texas

HOUSTON—Barry Walter Bujol Jr., a 30-year-old Hempstead, Texas, resident and former student at Prairie View A&M University, has been convicted for attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a designated foreign terrorist organization, Kenneth Magidson, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, announced today, along with Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. The verdict was returned today in Houston federal court by U.S. District Judge David Hittner.

“The prosecution of this case and its result should serve as a deterrent and sends a clear message to anyone contemplating the illegal support of terrorist organizations,” said Magidson. “This office will continue to vigorously pursue all cases involving those who attempt to engage in similar illegal activities.”

Bujol requested a bench trial before Judge Hittner which lasted nearly four days, during which he acted as his own attorney. The United States presented a total of 325 trial exhibits and 12 witnesses. During the trial, Bujol did not testify on his own behalf nor did he present any witnesses. Closing arguments were completed on Thursday, Nov. 10, at which time the court requested the weekend to consider all the evidence. This afternoon, Judge Hittner presented his ruling, finding Bujol guilty on both counts with which he was charged—attempt to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as aggravated identity theft.

The charges against Bujol resulted from a long-term investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The investigation, which began in 2009, involved a confidential human source (CHS) who purported to be an AQAP recruiter interested in helping Bujol pursue his goal of conducting “violent jihad.” Bujol was arrested on May 30, 2010, after boarding a ship docked at the Port of Houston, which Bujol believed was bound for Algeria where he would stay at an al Qaeda safe house before continuing on to Yemen. Bujol intended to stow away to join AQAP and to deliver items the CHS gave him to AQAP. AQAP was designated a foreign terrorist organization as the term is used in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B(g)(6) and Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act by the United States Secretary of State on Jan. 19, 2010.

Evidence at trial revealed that Bujol had been in contact with Anwar Al-Aulaqi, a now-deceased Yemeni-American AQAP associate and a proponent of violent jihad against the United States. Bujol had asked Al-Aulaqi for advice on raising money for the “mujahideen” without attracting police attention and on his duty as a Muslim to make “violent jihad.” Al-Aulaqi replied to Bujol’s e-mails by sending Bujol a document entitled “42 Ways of Supporting Jihad,” which asserted that “jihad’ is the greatest deed in Islam...[and] obligatory on every Muslim.” Court records indicated that the “jihad” Al-Aulaqi advocated involved violence and killing. The document implored Muslims, among other things, to conduct firearms training, improve their physical fitness for guerrilla warfare and to make “violent jihad.”

In 2009, Bujol made three attempts to depart the United States for the Middle East, but law enforcement, believing these were Bujol’s efforts to make “violent jihad,” thwarted him each time he tried to leave. Concerned about Bujol’s violent intentions and to further the investigation, agents arranged for a CHS to meet Bujol. Bujol eventually told the CHS he desired to fight with the “mujahideen.” The CHS, who testified at trial, told Bujol that he recruited people for AQAP and could help him. Each time the CHS told him he would be joining AQAP, Bujol replied by saying “God willing” in Arabic.

Records indicated that to prove his worth to the CHS and AQAP, Bujol performed numerous purported “training exercises” often involving surveillance detection and covert means of communication. Moreover, Bujol began to e-mail the CHS military manuals and articles on military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that he had found on the Internet, explaining to the CHS how the information could be helpful to AQAP. In a running conversation about UAVs, Bujol repeatedly told the CHS, often using metaphorical language, that AQAP should attack the human beings essential to operate the UAVs instead of attacking the UAVs themselves. Bujol suggested multiple targets, including one in the Southern District of Texas.

On May 30, 2010, the CHS contacted Bujol with a code word they previously agreed would signal the beginning of Bujol’s travel to the Middle East to join AQAP. They drove together to the Port of Houston where the CHS told Bujol he would stow-away on a ship bound for Algeria. After a short stay in Algeria for training, the CHS told Bujol he would travel to Yemen to fight for AQAP. The CHS gave Bujol various items to carry to AQAP’s purported operative in Algeria, which included two public access restricted military manuals, global position system receivers, pre-paid international calling cards, SIM cards and approximately 2,000 in Euros, among other items. Bujol secured these items in his baggage and quickly boarded the ship. Minutes after stowing away in a room on board the ship, agents took him into custody without incident.

Simultaneously, agents executed a search warrant on his apartment and his laptop computer. On the computer, agents found a home-made video montage of still photographs, including images of Osama bin Laden, Najibullah Zazi and multiple armed “mujahideen” fighters, which Bujol narrated. On the video, which was offered into evidence at trial, he addressed his words to his wife, explaining that he had left her suddenly and without forewarning to pursue “jihad.” Bujol told her he would likely not see her until the afterlife.

The aggravated identity theft charge, of which he was also convicted, stemmed from a false transportation worker identity card (purporting to be a card issued by the Transportation Security Administration) that Bujol possessed to access the Port of Houston. Bujol supplied the CHS with a passport photo and a false name and the CHS used these materials to acquire the false card for use in the sting operation. On the night of the operation, Bujol used the false card to gain access to the port.

Bujol has been in federal custody since his May 30, 2010, arrest and will remain in custody pending his sentencing, at which time he faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for the terrorism charge and an additional five years for the aggravated identity theft conviction as well as a $250,000 fine.

This multi-agency investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section; and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Bryan, Texas—comprised of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas A&M University Police Department, the Bryan Police Department, the U.S. States Secret Service, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, and the College Station Police Department. Other investigating agencies were the Houston FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Prairie View A&M University Department of Public Safety, the New Jersey State Police, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McIntyre and Craig Feazel, as well as Garrett Heenan, Trial Attorney from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. White III.

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.fbi.gov/houston/press-releases/2012/texas-man-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-attempting-to-provide-material-support-to-al-qaeda

Texas Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to al Qaeda

U.S. Attorney’s Office
May 24, 2012

Southern District of Texas

HOUSTON—Barry Walter Bujol, Jr., a 30-year-old Hempstead, Texas resident and former student at Prairie View A&M University, has been sentenced to serve 20 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Kenneth Magidson announced today, along with Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. Bujol was convicted November 14, 2011 of attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Just moments ago, U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed Bujol the statutory maximum sentence, ordering him to serve 180 months in prison for attempting to provide material support to AQAP and 60 months in prison for aggravated identity theft, which will be served consecutively, for a total sentence of 240 months in prison.

“We do not take matters of potential national security lightly,” said U.S. Attorney Magidson. “This case and its successful resolution represents our commitment to making our communities a safer place to live.”

Bujol requested a bench trial before Judge Hittner, which lasted nearly four days, during which he acted as his own attorney. The United States presented a total of 325 trial exhibits and 12 witnesses, which resulted in Bujol’s convictions for both attempt to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization as well as aggravated identity theft.

Evidence revealed Bujol had asked Anwar Al-Aulaqi, a now-deceased Yemeni-American AQAP associate, for advice on raising money for the “mujahideen” without attracting police attention and on his duty as a Muslim to make “violent jihad.” Al-Aulaqi replied by sending Bujol a document entitled “42 Ways of Supporting Jihad,” which asserted that “‘jihad’ is the greatest deed in Islam...[and] obligatory on every Muslim.” Court records indicated the “jihad” Al-Aulaqi advocated involved violence and killing.

In 2009, Bujol made three attempts to depart the United States for the Middle East, but law enforcement, believing these were Bujol’s efforts to make “violent jihad,” thwarted him each time he tried to leave. Bujol eventually told a confidential source he desired to fight with the “mujahideen.” The source testified at trial, explaining that each time he told Bujol he would be joining AQAP, Bujol replied by saying, “God willing” in Arabic.

To prove his worth to the source and AQAP, Bujol performed numerous purported “training exercises,” often involving surveillance detection and covert means of communication. Moreover, Bujol repeatedly told the source that AQAP should attack the human beings essential to operate military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) instead of attacking the UAVs themselves. Bujol suggested multiple targets, including one in the Southern District of Texas.

Bujol was arrested on May 30, 2010 after boarding a ship docked at the Port of Houston. He believed the ship was bound for Algeria, where he would stay at an al Qaeda safe house before continuing on to Yemen. Bujol intended to stow away to join AQAP and to deliver items to AQAP that a confidential source had given him. The items included two public access restricted military manuals, global position system receivers, pre-paid international calling cards, SIM cards, and approximately 2,000 in Euros, among other items. Bujol secured these items in his baggage and quickly boarded the ship. Minutes after stowing away in a room on board the ship, agents took him into custody without incident.

Simultaneously, agents executed a search warrant on his apartment and his laptop computer. On the computer, agents found a home-made video montage of still photographs, including images of Osama bin Laden, Najibullah Zazi, and multiple armed “mujahideen” fighters, which Bujol narrated. On the video, which was offered into evidence at trial, he addressed his words to his wife, explaining that he had left her suddenly and without forewarning to pursue “jihad.” Bujol told her he would likely not see her until the afterlife.

The aggravated identity theft charge, of which he was also convicted, stemmed from a false transportation worker identity card (purporting to be a card issued by the Transportation Security Administration) that Bujol possessed to access the Port of Houston. Bujol supplied the confidential source with a passport photo and a false name and the source used these materials to acquire the false card for use in the sting operation. On the night of the operation, Bujol used the false card to gain access to the port.

Bujol has been in federal custody since his May 30, 2010, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

This multi-agency investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Bryan, Texas—comprised of the Brazos County, Texas Sheriff’s Office; the Texas A&M University Police Department; the Bryan Police Department; the U.S. Secret Service;, the Waller County, Texas Sheriff’s Office; and the College, Texas Station Police Department. Other investigating agencies were the Houston FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Prairie View A&M University Department of Public Safety, the New Jersey State Police, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Houston Police Department, and the Canada Border Services Agency.

http://www.investigativeproject.org/3593/texas-man-gets-20-years-for-aiding-al-qaida

For The Record - The IPT Blog

“Texas Man Gets 20 Years for Aiding al-Qaida”
by Abha Shankar • May 24, 2012 at 6:04 pm

SNIPPET: “A Texas man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday for attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terrorist group’s Yemeni affiliate that is responsible for three failed attacks on the U.S. homeland.”

SNIPPET: “Evidence presented at the trial showed Bujol communicated with Yemeni-American AQAP cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, for “guidance on jihad.” Awlaki e-mailed him a document titled “42 Ways of Supporting Jihad.” It “advocates armed struggle or ‘jihad’ and pronounces it the duty of all Muslims to travel to Muslim lands to participate in this armed struggle” referred to in the document as “hijrah,” court records show. In a subsequent e-mail, Bujol sought Awlaki’s advice on how to raise money for the “Mujahidden” (Muslim Holy Warriors) overseas. He also made inquiries about setting up a jihadi website that could not be traced back to him. Awlaki was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen last September.

A government informant who was in close communication with Bujol testified that each time he told Bujol he would be joining AQAP, Bujol responded saying “God willing” in Arabic. Bujol also expressed his desire to the travel to Yemen and the Middle East and support the efforts of his “brothers” engaged in violent jihad. Bujol also emailed the informant copies of U.S. military manuals that he suggested could be exploited by the AQAP to obstruct U.S. military efforts overseas. He conveyed to the informant information he obtained on the Internet on where Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were manufactured or operated and suggested these locations be targeted for attack by AQAP.”

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