The friends of James Ujaama

Just when you think you know somebody, he goes and gets himself detained by the FBI for questioning in connection with alleged ties to the terrorist network of Osama bin Laden.

So, who do you stand by: your country or an individual who you've known all your life-but who may not be what he seems to be?

Such is the predicament of the friends and relatives of James Ujaama, a 36-year-old American black Muslim convert also known as James Earnest Thompson and Ahmed Bilal, who was born in Denver, raised in Seattle, and moved to London in 1996 to worship under militant Muslim cleric and al Qaeda recruiter Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri.

Federal authorities have alleged that Ujaama/Thompson/Bilal delivered laptop computers to the Taliban in Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion last fall, and that he possessed documents about poisoning America's water supply (reportedly confiscated from his Denver residence this week). Based on interrogations of Guantanamo Bay detainees, federal agents also believe Ujaama played a role in scouting out a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon.

Ujaama hasn't been charged with anything. He is, of course, innocent until proven guilty of any terrorism-related allegations. But if you are a family member or old acquaintance of such a suspect, you might properly feel alarmed. Angry. And maybe even secretly suspicious of the person you thought you knew so well, but perhaps had deep, unspoken doubts about over the years.

If you are a prominent local black activist or politician, however, you whip out your race card and start making excuses, spreading blame, and mouthing off when chastened silence would be the wiser course.

"I don't know everything James Ujaama did when he was in London," said Charlie James, a black community activist in Seattle who heads something called the "Organization of African American Unity." "But I've been knowing (sic) him all his life." Ujaama-who founded an extremist pro-Muslim website after September 11 called "StopAmerica.org" and visited Pakistan several times since the terrorist attacks -has a "streak of militancy," James acknowledged. But he declared unequivocally that Ujaama is not a terrorist.

Ron Sims, King County, Wash. executive and the highest-ranking African American elected official in the state, echoed the declaration publicly. Of Ujaama and his younger brother, Mustafa, Sims said: "These two gentlemen are community activists, not terrorists." Larry Gossett, a black King County councilman added: "Both of these cats have had a positive, contributing role in the African American community here."

James Ujaama's "biggest problem is that he's so damn inquisitive that he'll go anywhere anyplace anytime. I think that's what got him in trouble," Charlie James naively pontificated. Most of us satisfy our inquisitive impulses by visiting a library, not by hopscotching across hotbeds of al Qaeda activism. But never mind that. Building on this innocent scholar image, James told another reporter that Ujaama simply traveled abroad "to see how other Muslims are living." He's "a curious guy," James said. "He goes out to see the world."

Where did Ujaama, a young, self-employed computer technician of limited means, get the money for all these travels?

Of Ujaama and his brother's visit to the Bly, Oregon site suspected of being a terrorist training camp, Charlie James shrugs. It was simply a recreational "practice shooting" trip, he pooh-poohs. Practice for what?

The questions refuse to enter James' mind. Instead, he complains that "It's the McCarthy era all over again" and suggests that news coverage of Ujaama's activities is racist. "If he was a white youth doing the same thing, I don't think it would say terrorist. But because he's a Muslim and an African-American, it comes up terrorism." (Hello? Has he not read about Taliban Johnny Walker and Jose Padilla?)

In the name of "African American Unity," the political friends of James Ujaama refuse to believe he is anything other than a benign minority community activist under attack by a biased government. This self-serving love of racial demagoguery is blind, dumb, and dangerous.

I would think disgraced is better the dishonoured. Here is an update on your FREINDS. alloysteel

FNCTuesday, July 30, 2002
By Carl Cameron

WASHINGTON — Federal officials have arrested two Al Qaeda terror suspects in the U.S. with documents in their possession about how to poison the country's water supplies, Fox News has learned.

The first case involves James Ujaama, 36, who surrendered to the FBI last week in Denver. Sources say they found documents about water poisoning among several other terrorism-related documents in his Denver residence.

Sources say the government has additional evidence that prior to Sept. 11 James Ujaama acted as a courier delivering laptop computers to the Taliban. Federal agents seized two computers and two floppy disks from the house where James Ujaama had been staying when he was arrested as a material witness to terrorist activity, his brother said.

James Ujaama's brother is Mustafa Ujaama, the founder of the now-closed Dar-us-Salaam mosque in Seattle. The FBI has been investigating activities and officials from the former mosque for several months.

Investigators believe officials and members of the mosque were trying to establish a terrorist training camp in Bly, Ore., Fox News has confirmed. Investigators say there is evidence that Mustafa Ujaama visited Bly to check it out as a possible facility location.

The Ujaama brothers are also known to have helped establish several Web sites for radical Islamic clerics worldwide.

Another former member of the mosque is also now in custody and suspected of plotting terrorist attacks. His name is Semi Osman and he too is accused of having documents about poisoning water supplies in his possession when he was arrested.

Sources say the Ujaama brothers and Osman are all tied to a prominent radical Muslim cleric in London named Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri. Al-Masri is a one-eyed mullah who is often seen preaching at Finsbury Park's North London Central Mosque and is wanted in Yemen on terrorism charges.

Investigators say they have evidence indicating that Al-Masri supplied the information about poisoning water supplies to both James Ujaama and Semi Osman.

Furthermore, sources say Al-Masri's Web site was designed by the Ujaama brothers.

James Ujaama was arrested Monday at his grandmother's home. Mustafa Ujaama said he did not know what was on the disks that were taken from the home. One of the computers belonged to Mustafa Ujaama and the other was his son's, he said.

FBI spokesman John Lipka confirmed that agents went to the grandmother's house but would not say why. "We are in furtherance of an active investigation," he said.

Holding a person as a material witness — someone believed to have important information — allows federal authorities to keep him in custody indefinitely.

Federal authorities speaking on condition of anonymity have said authorities believe James Ujaama took computer equipment to an Al Qaeda terrorist camp in Afghanistan. They said authorities also were investigating whether James Ujaama trained at the camp.

Earlier news reports said James Ujaama was taken to Virginia after his arrest, but his lawyer, Daniel J. Sears, said he was jailed in Denver. Justice officials have refused to confirm where he was being held.

Sears said James Ujaama had not been charged with any crime. He said a hearing has been scheduled to review the legality of the detention, but he could not say where or when. He said his client is outspoken and has publicly disagreed with the government on Middle East issues.

"I hope we have not advanced to the point in this country where we are jailing people because the government may disagree with their beliefs," Sears said.

Agents arrived at the home at about 5 p.m. and spent about two hours inside. Mustafa Ujaama said they had a warrant.

The brothers moved to Denver this month from Seattle. Mustafa Ujaama was detained briefly on Monday when his brother was arrested.

Their aunt, Robin Thompson, stood outside the home during the search.

"They could have done this in Seattle. We are Americans. I don't know why they're doing this," she said.

The brothers were born James Ernest Thompson and Jon Thompson and grew up in Seattle. Some community leaders there have credited them with helping to rid their poor, black neighborhood of drugs and prostitution by recruiting former gang members and others into the Dar-us-Salaam mosque.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bin Laden was a community activist too. Shipped lots of aid goods to Afghanistan, etc.

Charlie James doesn't know his friend very well- if he did, he would have been invited along to shoot skeet too.

Or maybe not, since according to one Ujaama, the trip wasn't for shooting (even though according to neighbors there was shooting) ; it was to look over the land for possible puchase as both a sheep farm and as a camp for muslim youth. After driving all that way, though, they claimed the owner was nowhere to be found to discuss the sale- yet, they somehow procured some horses and rode around on the place for quite a while before deciding that 'it was too far' and going on their way. which doesn't quite sound right since for one, you don't go riding around on anyone's private property when the owner isn't to be found, and two, you don't go looking for a sheep farm and kid's summer camp with strangers from the Finsbury Mosque in London, and three, you typically look locations up on a map before you buy, so you won't have to discover that the land is too far away later.

I still can't get over how funny it is to combine a sheep ranch with a bunch of teenage muslims. Throw in a strip club and it would be hijacker heaven- or at least a desirable hangout for liberal congressmen.

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