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Thursday, November 14, 2002

DETROIT — A fugitive accused by the government of leading a terrorist sleeper cell here has been arrested in North Carolina and will be extradited to Michigan to face charges, authorities said.

Identified by court papers only as Abdella, the man was accused in an August indictment of acting with "a covert underground support unit" and an "operational combat cell" for a radical Islamic movement allied with Al Qaeda.

He remained at large until Nov. 5, when he was arrested outside Greensboro, N.C., federal authorities told the Detroit Free Press.

His alleged accomplices, Karim Koubriti, 24, Ahmed Hannan, 34, and Farouk Ali-Haimoud, 22, were arrested less than a week after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. A raid on a Detroit apartment the men shared yielded a cache of false documents and videotapes that appeared to case U.S. landmarks, authorities said.

Abdella was charged with providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents. He appeared Nov. 6 in U.S. District Court in Durham, N.C., and was ordered held without bond, the Free Press said.

FBI officials in North Carolina said Wednesday that a gag order issued by a federal judge in Detroit prevented them from providing details.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino, who is directing the case in Detroit, declined comment on the arrest.

Koubriti, Hannan and Ali-Haimoud pleaded innocent in September to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists. Their trial is scheduled for Jan. 21.

The indictment suggested the men were involved with an Islamic extremist movement known as Salafiyya, which became associated with Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.

The government alleges the men were taking actions to "engage in or support holy war or global jihad" and that three of them had discussed in June 2001 that "Islam permitted the killing of innocent civilians."

In the Detroit apartment shared by some of the men, officials discoverd false documents, including visas, and a day planner detailing planned attacks in Turkey and Jordan.

A videotape appeared to case U.S. landmarks such as Disneyland in California and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The indictment said the men checked Detroit's airport for gaps in security.

The indictment considers Abdella an expert in airport security operations, telephone calling card fraud and falsifying identification. It lists several aliases for Abdella but does not list a last name or country of origin.

Koubriti and Hannan are from Morocco and Ali-Haimoud is from Algeria.

Bump

The indictment said the men checked Detroit's airport for gaps in security

Sadly, the Detroit area is loaded with terrorists who are well hidden in the large Moslem community. Not surprisingly, this is why Bonior the Weasel was over in Iraq on TV kissing Saddam's backside. I purposely avoid flight connections through Detroit.

The indictment suggested the men were involved with an Islamic extremist movement known as Salafiyya, which became associated with Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.

I can't keep up with all these terrorist network group names.

Identified by court papers only as Abdella, the man was accused in an August indictment of acting with "a covert underground support unit" and an "operational combat cell" for a radical Islamic movement allied with Al Qaeda.

Could this radical Islamic movement be al Fuqra, Jamatt al fuqra, nation of Islam, black panthers, new black panthers, Black Muslims, 5 percenters or their rat supporters in congress?

FLE, great find and post.

FYI for the other freepers.