Posted on 09/03/2002 1:27:30 AM PDT by ppaul
Tuesday, September 03, 2002, 12:00 a.m. Pacific
'I love bin Laden ... I hate Bush': Man connected to Ujaama, hijacking suspect speaks out
By David Heath
Seattle Times staff reporter
A Swedish citizen suspected of conspiring with a former Seattle man to open a terrorist training camp in Oregon also has links to a Swede suspected of planning to hijack an airliner in Europe last week.
Oussama Kassir, 36, an unemployed engineer in Stockholm, was an unnamed and uncharged co-conspirator in the indictment of James Ujaama last week. Federal officials say Kassir and another man went to Bly, Ore., with Ujaama in late 1999 to scout out a ranch as a training camp for the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Authorities have not connected Kassir to Thursday's arrest of Kerim Sadok Chatty, who was stopped in Vaesteraas, Sweden, after a handgun was found in his carry-on bag as he was boarding a Ryanair flight to London. Chatty, 29, who trained at an American flight school in 1996, was being held yesterday pending charges for allegedly planning to hijack the Boeing 737.
But Kassir admits he is a friend of Chatty's and says he taught Chatty to pray while they were in a Swedish prison together in the late 1990s. The two were close, Kassir said, and he last talked to Chatty about a month ago.
In an interview with The Seattle Times yesterday, Kassir said Chatty is not a terrorist and that his friend probably just forgot that he had a gun in his luggage.
"The boy is nice. I don't think he would do that," Kassir said.
Kassir insisted that he, too, is being falsely accused of working for al-Qaida. The indictment of Ujaama states that one of Ujaama's colleagues — Kassir, authorities say privately — bragged publicly in Bly of being a "hit man" for Osama bin Laden.
Kassir denied the allegation and said repeatedly that his life is now in danger because of it.
"I am not the hit man of Osama bin Laden," he said. "The hit man would never be living in Sweden. He would be at his side. This is not good for my life."
Kassir added, though, that he is "a supporter" of bin Laden and his Islamic terrorist group.
"I said I am not al-Qaida. I am a supporter. I love al-Qaida. I love Osama bin Laden."
And, he said, he hates President Bush.
"I am against President Bush because he killed too many Muslims. I hate him to death. He should go to hell. I hate him with all my heart. If I can kill him, I'd kill him. But I cannot. I don't have the power to do that."
Later in the telephone interview, Kassir said that he didn't mean it and warned against publishing his comments.
Kassir was born near Beirut, Lebanon, in 1966 and fought during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Two years later, he moved to Sweden and became a naturalized citizen in 1989.
In 1998, he served time in a Swedish prison for assaulting an officer and possessing drugs and a gun. During that time, Kassir met Chatty, who was arrested after fighting with U.S. Marines at a Stockholm bar and with another American at a gym, according to a published report.
Currently, Kassir faces charges in Stockholm for assault and theft.
Kassir lived in London at the Finsbury Park mosque of radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, a noted supporter of Islamic terrorist efforts. Videotape aired on Canadian television shows the two men walking together in early 1999.
Kassir said he first went to Abu Hamza to seek advice because his wife had asked for a divorce. He said he became a close friend of Abu Hamza and knows him better than anyone.
"I feel very sorry that they say Abu Hamza is involved in al-Qaida. This is not true. I swear on Allah that this is not true. He's a kind person."
Abu Hamza also had nothing to do with Ujaama, Kassir said. But when told that Abu Hamza described himself as "being like a father" to Ujaama, Kassir said that even so, there's no proof that Abu Hamza was involved in a terrorist training camp in Oregon.
Ujaama was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to support al-Qaida and on a weapons charge. He is expected to return to Seattle this week, where he faces up to 25 years in prison.
The indictment, from a grand jury in Seattle, alleges that Ujaama in late 1999 tried to persuade Abu Hamza to establish a terrorist training camp on a remote ranch near Bly. It alleges that Abu Hamza sent two associates, Kassir and Haroon Aswat of India, to Oregon to scout out the property.
Kassir said that he doesn't know where Aswat now is and that he may be dead. Authorities say that Aswat fought in the war in Afghanistan.
Witnesses told The Times that Kassir was upset when he saw the ranch because it was so run-down and was so angry that he threatened to kill Ujaama. Kassir denied this yesterday.
He did not deny being in Bly but said there is no evidence that Abu Hamza sent him there.
The indictment also said that in February 2000, Kassir taught the preaching of Abu Hamza in Seattle and provided "urban tactical training."
When news of the probe was reported this year, Kassir allegedly called a witness in Seattle to ask if he should come back to "assess the situation."
David Heath: dheath@seattletimes.com.
I don't remember off the top of my head. But he also attended the London mosque run by Abu Hamza al-Masri. here
Once again we see the Islam/prison connection. Is anyone who's in a position of power to do something about this actually working on this issue? I think it was Charles Colson a few months ago who was talking about this issue, but I'm not sure if his group is focusing on it.
But Islam is obviously partially recruiting among those who are the most prone to violence, prisoners. We're all going to keep paying for this link-up.
I'm of the opinion that since this war is being fought against a movement rather than an army, that anyone found to be a supporter of this movement (the terrorist movement) should be executed. For instance, if the prisoners at Guantanamo show a tendency to rejoin al Qaida upon their release, then they should be executed instead of released. When this movement committed murder on American soil at the towers, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania, then I believe that that gives us the moral right to execute any and all that profess support or show a tendency to support that movement. If we were fighting a country, I wouldn't feel that way because wars end, but this isn't a war against a country. This is no different than finding a spy. Actually, I have more mercy for a spy, at least they spy for a country.
Hating bush seem to be endemic in their fruity culture. The parallels to 30's Nazism are striking.
But what am I, friggin' stupid?
 |
 |
 |
|
Let's get him! |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.