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London imam faces FBI inquiry over al-Qaida training camp
The Daily Telegraph via The Muslim News ^ | July 25 2002 | Sean O'Neill

Posted on 07/25/2002 3:03:21 PM PDT by knighthawk

Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri, the radical London imam, is at the centre of an FBI investigation into an alleged plot to recruit young American Muslims into an al-Qa'eda cell in the United States.

Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri is at the centre of the FBI's investigation. The US authorities have arrested two Muslim activists from Seattle with links to Hamza or his mosque in Finsbury Park, north London. They claim the men were involved with Hamza in organising a "jihad training camp".

US sources confirmed to The Telegraph yesterday that Hamza's activities were at the core of their investigation. Agents were gathering evidence against him and the allegation linking him to a jihad camp was "just the start" of the inquiry.

If a case can be established against Hamza, a British citizen who lost both hands and an eye fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, the US Government may request his extradition.

Hamza, 44, who has also been linked to Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, and Zacarias Moussaoui, the "20th hijacker" on September 11, dismissed the threat of extradition.

"It does not worry me because I live in Britain as a captive anyway," he said. "I am watched by the police and I cannot travel anywhere because they seized my passport two years ago and have never returned it."

The FBI investigation stems from the interrogation of Feroz Abbasi, from Croydon, south London, who was captured in Afghanistan while fighting for the Taliban and is being held in Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abbasi, 23, a former computer studies student, went to fight in Afghanistan after worshipping at Finsbury Park mosque, where Hamza delivers his firebrand sermons.

He is understood to have told the FBI that he was escorted to an al-Qa'eda camp in Afghanistan by James Ujaama, a black Muslim activist from Seattle who was living in London and also praying at Finsbury Park.

Ujaama, 36, who was born James Thompson and is a convert to Islam, worked on the website of Supporters of Shariah, Hamza's political group. He also used the name Bilal Ahmed while in London.

A confidential FBI document alleges that Ujaama, acting on Hamza's behalf, delivered laptop computers to the Taliban. It also alleges that he organised the training camp "in concert" with Hamza. Ujaama is a prominent activist and the founder of a website that campaigns against US conduct in the war on terrorism and lists offices in Los Angeles, London and Karachi, Pakistan.

Ujaama was arrested by the FBI in Denver on a material witness warrant. Before his arrest he issued a statement denying that he was a terrorist and claiming that the FBI was conducting "a bogus investigation".

His arrest followed the detention of Semi Osman, 32, a mechanic from Sierra Leone who travels on a British passport and was the preacher at a now-closed mosque in Seattle, where Ujaama worshipped.

When he was arrested Osman is said to have had articles written by Hamza in his possession. He is being held on immigration and firearms charges but has not been accused of terrorist offences.

Hamza, who has had his financial assets frozen by order of the Bank of England and been named by the US Treasury as a terrorist financier, confirmed that he knew Ujaama.

He said: "He was the webmaster of our website and worked as a volunteer but we lost contact.

"I have no knowledge of any such training camp. There are a lot of such training camps in America - if that is the only accusation against me it is not very severe."

Hamza said he had "no idea" about the alleged delivery of computers to Afghanistan by Ujaama and did not recognise the name of Semi Osman.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: almasri; alqaeda; alqaida; bangor; british; fbi; hamzaalmasri; imam; imams; osman; seattle; seattlecell; submarines; terrorwar; trainingcamp; ujaama; uk; us; whidbeyisland
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1 posted on 07/25/2002 3:03:21 PM PDT by knighthawk
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To: MizSterious; rebdov; Nix 2; green lantern; BeOSUser; Brad's Gramma; dreadme; keri; Turk2; ...
Ping
2 posted on 07/25/2002 3:03:45 PM PDT by knighthawk
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To: knighthawk; *TerrOrWar; thinden; Fred Mertz; OKCSubmariner; Betty Jo
His arrest followed the detention of Semi Osman, 32, a mechanic from Sierra Leone who travels on a British passport and was the preacher at a now-closed mosque in Seattle, where Ujaama worshipped.

There's a scary article about Semi Osman in this week's issue of Navy Times (July 29). Seems he's a naval reservist, Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Semi Osman, arrested May 17 at his home in Tacoma, with access not only to the Tacoma Reserve Center, but also to such places as Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and Naval Submarine Base Bangor.

3 posted on 07/25/2002 3:11:18 PM PDT by aristeides
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To: knighthawk
If a case can be established against Hamza, a British citizen who lost both hands and an eye fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, the US Government may request his extradition.

Yeah, but they probably won't - death penalty here and all.

4 posted on 07/25/2002 3:17:58 PM PDT by facedown
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To: knighthawk
I just saw on ABC..breaking news...about a terrorist training camp in Alabama. They said it was all made possible by America's gun laws. Here we go, another campaign against our 2nd amendment rights. If they had been militia a way would have been found to shut them down long ago.
5 posted on 07/25/2002 4:01:57 PM PDT by virgil
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To: aristeides
Hm, with the military -- a guy they picked up here in Pittsburgh as part of the Pakistani jewelry ring (no pun intended) had been in our armed services, too. He was Pakistani, and had all sorts of information on bio and nuclear warfare -- he claimed it was training material from when he was with the US Army. Could all these crashes be due to enemies within our forces sabatoging machinery in their roles as "construction mechanic?"
6 posted on 07/25/2002 4:08:10 PM PDT by ellery
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To: ellery; OKCSubmariner
The most important infiltrator in the U.S. military that we know of so far is Ali Mohamed, who probably learned many of the security techniques that he later taught the Islamists from the U.S. Army and/or the CIA.
7 posted on 07/25/2002 4:29:27 PM PDT by aristeides
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To: knighthawk
Sheik Abu Hamza al-Masri
Sheik Abu Hamza al-Masri .........  AKA Muhammed al-CAPTAIN HOOK.


Same freak

8 posted on 07/25/2002 4:37:21 PM PDT by dennisw
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To: Nita Nupress
FYI.
9 posted on 07/25/2002 4:46:16 PM PDT by aristeides
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To: dennisw
Throw him out of a plane.

10 posted on 07/25/2002 4:55:39 PM PDT by Guillermo
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To: ellery; aristeides
I'm sure that there are all sorts of muslim terrorists and even more muslim fifth columnists who have access to many of our sensitive institutions, both military and civilian. It is probably easy for some imam or other terrorist leader to order some of his minions to enlist in the US military, or even to infiltrate the FBI or the CIA. Now that they need speakers of Arabic, Pustun, etc. in these spy agencies, its probably even easier.

These guys can then keep quiet and learn as much as they can, and ship the info off to the jihadists. And other muslim subversives can concentrate on converting some of our militarly personnel to islam, and recruiting them for the same kinds of activity. I wonder what the rate of conversion to islam is in our armed forces.

11 posted on 07/25/2002 5:32:09 PM PDT by Honorary Serb
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To: dennisw
Hey, isn't he starring in 'Resident Evil' as one of the zombies?
12 posted on 07/25/2002 5:47:22 PM PDT by knighthawk
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To: Honorary Serb
These guys can then keep quiet and learn as much as they can, and ship the info off to the jihadists. And other muslim subversives can concentrate on converting some of our militarly personnel to islam, and recruiting them for the same kinds of activity. I wonder what the rate of conversion to islam is in our armed forces.

Boy, that's a good question. Think that information exists anywhere?

13 posted on 07/25/2002 7:57:15 PM PDT by ellery
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To: ellery; Honorary Serb
Navy Times article here: AL QAIDA IN THE RANKS? Noncitizen (Naval) reservist suspected of ties to terrorist network.
14 posted on 07/26/2002 11:46:32 AM PDT by aristeides
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To: ellery
Probably!
15 posted on 07/26/2002 4:16:10 PM PDT by Betty Jo
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To: aristeides
We must not forget that Danny Pearl was trying to meet with a bad guy named Gilani,who set up the radical Black Muslim American group called, I think, Faquar.

It is my fear that militant American black muslims will get it together and burn the central cities to the ground.

American prisons are filled with blacks who are converting, and want a purpose.

With Bin Ladens $$$$$$, they might find one.
16 posted on 07/26/2002 4:22:39 PM PDT by Betty Jo
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To: aristeides; rdavis84; Travis McGee; Iwentsouth; Shermy
http://www.rediff.com./us/2002/feb/14us.htm

Talks about Ali Gilani,Al Fuqra,black muslims and Danny Pearl.
17 posted on 07/26/2002 5:34:44 PM PDT by Betty Jo
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To: Betty Jo
If the black Muslims start that, we'll have an excuse to round them all up and keep them detained for the duration of this war that will probably last decades.
18 posted on 07/26/2002 6:09:11 PM PDT by aristeides
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To: Betty Jo
The American muslim group is called "al Fuqra" or "jamaat al fuqra," and there is a good deal of material on them on FR, relating to a murder case in Tennessee and forged licenses.

Here is one of the links to the case that started al Fuqra research here...

Body in car identified as license examiner

19 posted on 07/29/2002 9:23:03 PM PDT by piasa
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To: aristeides
This thread might be of interest again.

Reports of Suspicious Activity on Whidbey Island

20 posted on 07/30/2002 3:08:19 AM PDT by piasa
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