Posted on 06/05/2010 9:48:37 PM PDT by BP2
NEWARK — Two New Jersey men intent on killing American troops were arrested Saturday as they boarded flights to link up with a virulent jihadist group in Somalia, authorities said.
The men, both North Jersey residents, were charged with conspiring to commit an act of international terrorism through a group tied to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, according to officials familiar with the details of the arrests.
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 26, of Elmwood Park were apprehended at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens before they could board separate flights to Egypt, where they were to start journeys to Somalia. The men were arrested by teams of state and federal law-enforcement agents who have been investigating the pair since October 2006, according to the officials, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the operation publicly.
"Two individuals were arrested at JFK in connection with an ongoing investigation. At this time, we can provide no further details because the investigation is ongoing. The arrests do not relate to an immediate threat," said Jose Lozano, a spokesman for the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., FBI agents sealed off Alessa’s street in North Bergen. The local police department would say only that an investigation was in progress. FBI agents, North Bergen police and the New York Police Department descended on the home on 81st Street as neighbors looked on. According to property records, Alessa’s parents, Mahmoud and Nadia Alessa, rented the top floor of their house amid a quiet row of middle-class homes. As agents poured in, lights went on throughout the house.
Neither Alessa nor Almonte is married. Both are American citizens, said the anonymous officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article452558.ece
“U.S. court rejects bail for terror suspects”
SNIPPET: “Almonte’s father, a Dominican immigrant, has said that he will not be supporting his son.
Carlos reportedly converted to radical Islam and changed his name to Omar after high school when he stared hanging out with Alessa.
Alessa, who is of Palestinian descent, was reportedly a dangerous teen who was kicked out of his high school in North Bergen New Jersey.
The criminal complaint states that the two American citizens prepared for their mission by working out in the gym, doing test runs at paintball fields, saving thousands of dollars, buying cargo pants, listening to videos especially the ones by radical American—Yemeni cleric Anwar Al Awalaki, and reading documents authored by Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al—Zawahiri.
The two were arrested after an undercover agent infiltrated their circle and unearthed their plans.
Federal undercover agents secretly recorded the duo making statements to promote violent Jihad.
“We’ll start doing killing here, if I can’t do it over there,” Almonte allegedly said in November 2009, according to the criminal complaint.”
www.justice.gov/usao/nj/press/press/files/pdffiles/Alessa,%20Mohamed%20and%20Almonte,%20Carlos%20Plea%20PR.pdf
www.justice.gov/usao/nj/press/press/files/pdffiles/Alessa,%20Mohamed%20Information.pdf
www.justice.gov/usao/nj/press/press/files/pdffiles/Almonte,%20Carlos%20Information.pdf
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/03/new-jersey-men-plead-guilty-trying-join-al-qaeda-group/
“Two New Jersey Men Plead Guilty to Trying to Join Al Qaeda Group”
Published March 03, 2011
SNIPPET: “Mohamed Mahmood Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte entered into a packaged plea deal in a Newark federal courtroom Thursday.
They admitted to conspiring to kill, maim and kidnap persons outside the United States by trying to join al-Shabab, a designated terrorist organization.
The 21-year-old Alessa, of North Bergen, was born in the United States and is the son of Palestinian immigrants. Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, is a naturalized citizen who was born in the Dominican Republic. Both are Muslim.”
http://www.investigativeproject.org/2650/jersey-jihadists-plead-guilty-to-al-shabaab
For The Record - The IPT Blog
“Jersey Jihadists Plead Guilty to al-Shabaab Conspiracy”
by IPT News • Mar 3, 2011 at 6:18 pm
http://jarretbrachman.net/?p=1267
“What’s Super Angry and Really Hates Juice?”
Posted on March 4, 2011 by Admin
Thanks for all the links.
I wonder just how many more of them are out there, in your neighborhood and mine?
OPINION:
How many? Probably more than we know about.
March 3, 2011
NOTE The following text is a quote:
http://newark.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/nk030311.htm
Two New Jersey Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Kill Overseas for Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Al Shabaab
NEWARK, NJ—Two New Jersey men arrested at JFK International Airport last summer pleaded guilty today to conspiring to murder individuals overseas on behalf of a foreign terrorist group operating in Somalia, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 21, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, a/k/a “Omar,” 24, of Elmwood Park, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to murder persons outside the United States on behalf of designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Al Shabaab. The defendants entered their guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise in Newark federal court.
On June 5, 2010, Alessa and Almonte were taken into custody by pre-staged arrest teams as they attempted to board separate international flights at JFK International Airport. They have been held in continuous custody since their arrest by order of U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.
U.S. Attorney Fishman stated: “Through covert recordings and their admissions today, Alessa’s and Almonte’s own words confirm they took steps down a deadly path. The defendants planned and trained for a mission that began in their New Jersey neighborhoods and would end with the murder of innocent civilians. Cases like this underscore the importance of successful law enforcement cooperation and continued vigilance.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
It was Alessa and Almonte’s aim to travel to a place outside of the United States and murder individuals whose beliefs and practices did not align with their extremist ideology. The defendants admitted that they planned to join Al Shabaab, an international terrorist group based in Somalia, knowing the group was engaged in carrying out violent attacks against individuals in that country, including members of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and African Union soldiers. As part of this campaign, Al Shabaab has conducted military assaults, bombings, and other violent acts, and has attempted through its media operations to recruit foreigners – including Americans and other Westerners – to join its ranks.
In October 2006, the FBI received a tip concerning the defendants’ activities. As the investigation continued, an NYPD Intelligence Division undercover officer recorded numerous meetings and conversations with them, during which the defendants discussed and prepared to carry out their plan.
The defendants admitted that those preparations included: saving and pooling thousands of dollars; physically conditioning themselves by, among other things, lifting weights and running; engaging in combat simulations using paintball guns, computer software, and other items; acquiring tactical clothing, hydration systems, knives, night-vision optics, and other equipment; and purchasing airline tickets to Egypt with the intent to then travel to Somalia. They also admitted that as part of their plan, Alessa and Almonte had traveled to Jordan in February 2007 and while there, inquired about opportunities to meet with groups committed to establishing Islamic law through violence.
Additionally, Alessa and Almonte admitted that they acquired, viewed, and displayed for others audio, video, and written materials – produced by and relating to Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, and other extremist groups – which advocated, depicted, and/or sought to justify the killing of individuals who opposed them, including civilians.
The charge to which Alessa and Almonte pleaded guilty carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the terms of their plea agreements, the defendants agreed not to request a sentence of less than 15 years in prison, while the government agreed not to request a sentence of more than 30 years. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2011.
U.S. Attorney Fishman praised the outstanding work of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward; the Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF); the New York City Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly; and the State of New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under Director Charles B. McKenna, in conducting the investigation leading to today’s guilty pleas. The JTTF is made up of agents and officers of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Department of State; the New Jersey State Police; the Jersey City Police Department; the Bayonne Police Department; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department; and other law enforcement agencies.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Kogan and L. Judson Welle of the United States Attorney’s Office National Security Unit, and Alamdar S. Hamdani, Trial Attorney, Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2487838/posts
#
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2012/leader-of-revolution-muslim-pleads-guilty-to-using-internet-to-solicit-murder-and-encourage-violent-extremism
“Leader of Revolution Muslim Pleads Guilty to Using Internet to Solicit Murder and Encourage Violent Extremism”
U.S. Attorney’s Office
February 09, 2012
Eastern District of Virginia
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Jesse Curtis Morton, aka Younus Abdullah Muhammed, 33, of New York City, pleaded guilty today to using his position as a leader of Revolution Muslim Organization’s Internet sites to conspire to solicit murder, make threatening communications, and use the Internet to place others in fear.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Raymond W. Kelly, New York City Police Commissioner, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.
Morton faces a maximum penalty five years in prison for each of the three charges when he is sentenced on May 18, 2012.
“Jesse Morton operated Revolution Muslim to radicalize those who saw and heard his materials online and to incite them to engage in violence against those they believed to be enemies of Islam,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “We may never know all of those who were inspired to engage in terrorism because of Revolution Muslim, but the string of recent terrorism cases with ties to Morton’s organization demonstrates the threat it posed to our national security. We’re grateful to the FBI, NYPD, and their law enforcement partners throughout the world who made today’s conviction possible.”
“Individuals such as Morton who encourage violence and create fear over the Internet are a danger to our society and to the freedoms we enjoy as citizens,” said Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. “Today’s plea, and other recent cases of those associated with Morton’s organization, demonstrate the widespread nature of this danger. Together with our partner law enforcement agencies, and with the assistance of the community, the FBI will continue to pursue those who promulgate violent extremism and promote the radicalization of others.”
“Fortunately, NYPD Intelligence Division detectives were in a position to learn exactly how Morton used the Internet to conspire to solicit murder, and how he encouraged others to solicit the murder of an artist whose material he deemed offensive,” said Police Commissioner Kelly. “This important plea resulted because the NYPD’s monitoring of Morton’s activities, combined with the investigative and prosecutorial expertise of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Virginia, made for a strong case, in addition to a strong partnership.”
According to a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Morton founded Revolution Muslim in December 2007 and created various online forums that contained postings and information supportive of violent extremism. Morton and his associates used the organization’s websites to encourage Muslims to engage in violence against those they believed to be enemies of Islam and to support Osama bin Laden, Anwar Al-Awlaki, al Qaeda, the Taliban, and others espousing violence. They posted messages in support of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the November 2009 killings at Ft. Hood and attacks and future threats against Jewish organizations, among others.
Through his online forums, Morton conspired with Zachary Chesser, of Fairfax County, Va., and others to solicit the murder of an artist tied to the “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” movement in May 2010, including posting online a magazine that included the artist in a hit list for violent extremists to take out and a message from Anwar Al-Awlaki that explicitly called for the artist’s assassination. In justifying these actions, Morton posted online a speech of his asserting that “Islam’s position is that those that insult the Prophet may be killed” and exhorting his listeners to fight the “disbelievers near you.”
In addition, Morton admitted through his statement of facts that he aided Chesser in taking repeated steps in April 2010 to encourage violent extremists to attack the writers of South Park for an episode that featured Muhammad in a bear suit, including highlighting their residence and urging online readers to “pay them a visit.” Among the steps they took were posting on multiple occasions speeches by Anwar Al-Awlaki, which explained the Islamic justification for killing those who insult or defame Muhammad. Morton worked with Chesser to draft a message for the website regarding the South Park threats, including a quote from Osama bin Laden that “If there is no check in the freedom of your words, then let your hearts be open to the freedom of our actions.” Morton and Chesser posted the final version of this statement on various extremist online forums, and Chesser told Morton that he expected the statement would “scare the kuffar.” Kuffar is an Arabic term, referring to an unbeliever, or disbeliever, in Islam.
Chesser was arrested on July 21, 2010, charged with providing material support to al Shabaab and later also pleaded guilty to communicating threats and soliciting violent extremists to desensitize law enforcement. Four days after Chesser’s arrest, Morton fled to Morocco, where he resided until his arrest on U.S. charges on May 26, 2011.
In his statement of facts, Morton admitted that the Revolution Muslim websites contained the writings of and/or contributed to the radicalization of individuals who were inclined to engage in violence, including the following:
Samir Khan, previously of Charlotte, N.C., before moving to Yemen in 2009, was authorized by Morton to post materials on Revolution Muslim, and Morton provided Khan with two articles for the first two online editions of Jihad Recollections, an online magazine dedicated to violent extremism. In July 2010, Morton posted the first edition of Inspire magazine, an English-language magazine supporting al Qaeda that Morton believed to be the product of Khan. The magazine included an eight-page article titled “Make a bomb in the kitchen of Your Mom,” with detailed instructions regarding the construction of an explosive device.
Bilal Zaheer Ahmad, of the United Kingdom, was provided the password to Revolution Muslim by Morton and given permission to post messages. In November 2010, Ahmad praised Roshonara Choundhry for attempting to kill a British member of parliament over his support for the Iraq war and posted a list of 383 members of parliament who had voted for the Iraq war, along with suggestions on how to get in to see them and a link to a store selling a weapon similar to that used in Choundhry’s attack. Ahmad told Morton that the purpose of the post was to “make those MPs fearful.”
Abdel Hameed Shehedah, a former resident of Staten Island, N.Y., who was charged in October 2010 of making false statements involving his alleged attempt to travel to Pakistan to join a fighting group such as the Taliban. The statement of facts states that Shehedah attended Revolution Muslim meetings, made his website, civiljihad.com, a feeder site for Revolution Muslim and eventually arranged for all visitors to his website be routed automatically to Revolution Muslim.com.
Rezwan Ferdaus, of Ashland, Mass., was charged in September 2011 with plotting to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using large remote controlled aircraft filled with C-4 plastic explosives. The statement of facts states that in February 2010, Ferdaus e-mailed Morton asking for counsel regarding his duties as a Muslim and whether martyrdom operations were proper practice. Morton replied that martyrdom operations must be judged by intention but can have “enormous benfits (sic) in a war of attrition.”
Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Jihad Jane,” of Montgomery County, Pa., was charged in March 2010 with a variety of terrorism-related offenses, including plotting to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who has been the subject of several murder threats based on his artwork depicting Muhammad. According to the statement of facts, Morton notified Sheikh Abdullah Faisal, a Muslim cleric convicted in the United Kingdom of soliciting murder, that LaRose was a subscriber to Revolution Muslim YouTube accounts.
Antonio Benjamin Martinez, of Baltimore, Md., was arrested and charged with plotting to bomb a military recruiting station in December 2010. The statement of facts states that one month prior to his arrest, Martinez viewed a video of Osama bin Laden and multiple terror training camp video clips on the Revolution Muslim website.
Jose Pimental, of New York City, was arrested and charged in November 2011 in connection with a plot to build and use a bomb to assassinate members of the U.S. military returning from active duty in Afghanistan. According to the statement of facts, Pimental contacted Morton saying that he was a big fan of Revolution Muslim, and that Morton recommended that Pimentel stay away from an individual because “there is high probability that he is working for the FBI.”
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, both of New Jersey, were arrested in June 2010 on their way to Somalia to join a terrorist organization to kill individuals whose beliefs and practices did not accord with their ideology. The statement of facts states that both Alessa and Almonte were associates of Morton’s within the Revolution Muslim organization, and Morton was interviewed by investigators from the New York City Police Department on the day of their arrest.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the New York Police Department’s Intelligence Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Karen L. Dunn of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney John T. Gibbs of the Counterterrorism Section in the National Security Division are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
This is Home Front Jihad bleeding over into the active front. Heck, I guess it is all the active front.
Oh heck, this damn thing is over a year and a half old.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Should have left them off the plane at about 30,000 ft.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/04/two_would-be_terrorists_from_n.html
“Two would-be terrorists from North Jersey sentenced to two decades in prison”
By Jason Grant/The Star-Ledger
on April 15, 2013 at 6:43 PM, updated April 15, 2013 at 9:45 PM
SNIPPET: “NEWARK — A federal judge today sentenced Mohamed Alessa and Carlos Almonte, admitted would-be terrorists from North Jersey, to 22 years and 20 years in prison, respectively, while explaining that Alessa got a longer sentence because of his apparent deeper involvement in radical terrorist beliefs.
In a lengthy afternoon session before the sentences were handed down, prosecutors portrayed both men as ardent believers who needed to be put away for 30 years in prison to keep society safe.”
SNIPPET: “Alessa, of North Bergen, has dual U.S.-Jordanian citizenship, was born in the United States and is the son of Palestinian parents.
Almonte, of Elmwood Park, is a naturalized citizen who was born in the Dominican Republic. He was raised a Roman Catholic and converted to Islam.”
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You’re really thorough, aren’t you?
Nice work.
Well, I try to be.
I like the Paul Harvey school of thought... “...and now, for the rest of the story.”
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.fbi.gov/newark/press-releases/2013/two-new-jersey-men-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-for-conspiring-to-kill-overseas-with-designated-foreign-terrorist-organization-al-shabaab
Two New Jersey Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Conspiring to Kill Overseas with Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization al
Shabaab
U.S. Attorney’s Office
April 15, 2013
District of New Jersey
NEWARK—Two New Jersey men convicted for conspiring to travel to Somalia to join a terrorist group and murder individuals whose beliefs and practices did not align with their extremist ideology were sentenced today to 22 and 20 years in prison, respectively, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Mohamed Hamoud Alessa, 23, of North Bergen, who was sentenced to 264 months in prison, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, a/k/a “Omar,” 27, of Elmwood Park, who was sentenced to 240 months in prison, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to murder persons outside the United States on behalf of designated Foreign Terrorist Organization al Shabaab. The defendants entered their guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise, who also imposed the sentences today in Newark federal court.
On June 5, 2010, Alessa and Almonte were taken into custody by pre-staged arrest teams as they attempted to board separate international flights at JFK International Airport. They have been held in continuous custody since their arrests by order of U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.
“Alessa and Almonte wanted to join terrorists who shared their violent, extremist ideology so they could murder those who did not,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “We need not speculate about their intentions: their own words confirm the deadly mission for which they trained, planned, and attempted to embark. Their decades-long sentences are both a just punishment for their admitted actions and a warning to others who would be tempted down this dead-end path.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Alessa and Almonte admitted that they planned to travel outside the United States to join al Shabaab, an international terrorist group based in Somalia, knowing the group was engaged in carrying out violent attacks against individuals in that country—including members of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and African Union soldiers. As part of this campaign, al Shabaab has conducted military assaults, bombings, and other violent acts and has attempted through its media operations to recruit foreigners—including Americans and other westerners—to join its ranks.
In October 2006, the FBI received a tip concerning the defendants’ activities. As the investigation continued, an NYPD Intelligence Division undercover officer recorded numerous meetings and conversations with them, during which the defendants discussed and prepared to carry out their plan.
The defendants admitted that those preparations included: saving and pooling thousands of dollars; physically conditioning themselves by, among other things, lifting weights and running; engaging in combat simulations using paintball guns, computer software, and other items; acquiring tactical clothing, hydration systems, and other equipment; and purchasing airline tickets to Egypt with the intent to then travel to Somalia. They also admitted that as part of their plan, Alessa and Almonte had traveled to Jordan in February 2007 and while there had inquired about opportunities to meet with groups committed to establishing Islamic law through violence.
Additionally, Alessa and Almonte admitted that they acquired, viewed, and displayed for others audio, video, and written materials—produced by and relating to al Qaeda, al Shabaab, and other extremist groups—which advocated, depicted, and/or sought to justify the killing of individuals who opposed them, including civilians.
In addition to the prison terms, Judge Debevoise sentenced Alessa and Almonte to lifetime terms of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman praised the outstanding work of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford; the Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF); the New York City Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly; and the State of New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under Director Edward Dickson, in conducting the investigation leading to today’s sentences. The JTTF is made up of agents and officers of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Department of State; the New Jersey State Police; the Jersey City Police Department; the Bayonne Police Department; the Port Authority of New York; New Jersey Police Department; and other law enforcement agencies.
The government is represented by Chief Andrew Kogan and Assistant U.S. Attorney L. Judson Welle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit, and Alamdar S. Hamdani, Deputy Chief, Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Finally, a potential motive for the marathon bombings unveiled.
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