Jordanian student at UTA ordered deported - He admitted considering suicide-bomb attack

The Dallas Morning News ^ | 2/08/2003 | TODD BENSMAN

[Let's Roll]

He admitted considering suicide-bomb attack

02/08/2003

By TODD BENSMAN / The Dallas Morning News

In a rare glimpse at the government's domestic war on terror, a Jordanian student from Arlington admitted in court Friday that he had considered becoming a suicide bomber if the United States invaded Iraq.

Tahir Ibrihim Aletwei, a 30-year-old software engineering graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, spoke freely about his inclinations toward terrorism and divulged details of his interviews with federal agents during his deportation hearing.

"I was looking at America as my enemy," he said. "If someone would have approached me and asked me to do something against the country, I was willing to do it."

Mr. Aletwei said he had since had a change of heart and was confessing to help U.S. authorities better guard against people like him. He said he had not been approached by terrorists seeking to enlist him and had no target.

But when U.S. Immigration Judge D. Anthony Rogers referred to an FBI report quoting Mr. Aletwei as saying he still harbored thoughts of killing Americans, Mr. Aletwei conceded that the prospects of a U.S. invasion of Iraq had him again contemplating an attack.

Judge Rogers ordered that Mr. Aletwei be deported within five days, rejecting several pleas by the detainee to be released long enough to finish the last three months of his master's degree.

"I abhor the thought processes that you acknowledge," Judge Rogers said. "The issue we have in this nation since 9-11 is we want to act on the side of caution, and it will be necessary to send you home. That's my final ruling."

At one point, Mr. Aletwei proposed that he be allowed to stay in exchange for cooperating further with authorities, who had interviewed him extensively. The judge deferred to INS prosecutor Heidi Graham, the government's representative in the proceeding.

She declined the offer: "Had we known about what he calls his misguided thinking, we would never have issued him a visa."

Dallas FBI and INS officials declined to say what led agents to Mr. Aletwei or to comment on his case, citing confidentiality rules related to terrorism investigations.

Former FBI Associate Deputy Director Oliver "Buck" Revell said authorities probably had no alternative other than deportation, especially if the suspect seemed mentally unbalanced and unpredictable.

'A peculiar case'

"He's a peculiar case, I have to admit. I haven't heard of one like that, and I've been in the business for 35 years," Mr. Revell said.

Mr. Aletwei said that when agents asked him whether he was involved in terrorism, he said yes.

He said he proceeded to explain to agents that his desire to become a martyr was cultivated by his home country's hatred of the neighboring state of Israel and its most powerful ally, America.

Mr. Aletwei said in court Friday that he came to the United States as part of a Jordanian-sponsored student exchange program in August 2001. He said he came to earn an advanced degree in computer software engineering but secretly hoped for an opportunity to carry out a suicide bombing using explosives strapped to his body.

He said that though he had no formal training to carry out a suicide attack, he was mentally prepared.

"In my mind, I was doing a noble thing," Mr. Aletwei told Judge Rogers.

Mr. Aletwei said he told agents about his feelings and unformed plans as a gesture of good will to a country that had softened him with kindness since his arrival about 20 months earlier.

"I wanted to help. It's my duty to help," he said. "I want people to understand just how we think because if they understand how we think, they can prevent accidents like 9-11. I don't believe war or violence can solve anything."

Mr. Aletwei was arrested Jan. 31 on charges of violating provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which subjects violators to deportation. He could not be criminally charged because he has done nothing illegal.

Professor surprised

News of Mr. Aletwei's testimony astonished his faculty adviser at UTA. Mr. Aletwei had complained in recent months of government harassment and the revocation of his student visa by the U.S. Embassy in Jordan, said Dr. Arthur Reyes, an assistant professor of computer science at UTA.

Dr. Reyes, who taught Mr. Aletwei for a year, said his student rarely spoke of politics and struck all who knew him as well-balanced and as a genuinely good person. Dr. Reyes said he wrote a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Jordan at Mr. Aletwei's request to get his visa reinstated.

"There's nothing in his character that would indicate any truth to that at all," Dr. Reyes said. "That doesn't sound like the Tahir that we know."

E-mail tbensman@dallasnews.com

[Let's Roll]

Thought he was doing a noble thing and wanted us to know how they think ...

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[marron]

Its weird, but he is probably sincere. The truth is that probably almost everyone coming from that part of the world feels the way he says he did, because they have been bombarded with the most vile propaganda for a lifetime.

He had come to see us in a different light, and it was clearly troubling. The judge was justified in sending him home, but remember, this is the guy who no longer feels as he did, and reached out. The rest, very likely, have not had any such change of heart. And they are still here.

[bayareablues]

How we can prevent "accidents" like 9-11? Accidents!?

[Let's Roll]

"Accidents" - I noticed that too. That fits with them raising their children to think they are superior to all non-believers and hence whatever happens to non-believers is just incidental or irrelevant. Like the mouthy muslim female comparing 9/11 to "America getting a hang nail" a week or so ago.

[beaversmom]

They get their minds screwed up from the time they are little. I think most of them are severely demented and filled with hate--probably not much hope for any of them past the age of seven.

[truth_seeker]

He said he came to earn an advanced degree in computer software engineering but secretly hoped for an opportunity to carry out a suicide bombing using explosives strapped to his body.

Prudence on our part would ASSUME that most arabs and muslims in our midst ARE JUST LIKE THIS.

It should not fall for us to naiively WAIT for them to reveal their true aspirations, for they come from cultures and a so called religion, which rewards deception.

In the face of ALL the evidence against Saddam's Iraq (WMD actually used on various innocent muslims) it is absurd he would deem that they should be supported, lock-step, simply for being muslim.

Their twisted sense of morality is simply wrong, and they cannot be trusted.

Every American should watch carefully the muslims in their own communities. I once had a muslim friend, who used deceit to hide his true opinions, so long as it served his needs (graduate degree).

He was Iranian, and it came to be known, he supported the mullah-dictatorship revolution. He rapidly became persona non grata, in the workplace and resigned.

I expect somebody told him to high-tail it, or get damaged. On balance, most Iranians are less imbued with islamic insanity, and that is reason for some degree of hopefullness that another revolt will topple their mullahs.

[Spruce]

Why is this friggin weenie still breathing? Send him to allah.

[MeekOneGOP]

Jordanian student at UTA ordered deported

Excerpt:

In a rare glimpse at the government's domestic war on terror, a Jordanian student from Arlington admitted in court Friday that he had considered becoming a suicide bomber if the United States invaded Iraq.

Tahir Ibrihim Aletwei, a 30-year-old software engineering graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, spoke freely about his inclinations toward terrorism and divulged details of his interviews with federal agents during his deportation hearing.

< snip >

"I abhor the thought processes that you acknowledge," Judge Rogers said. "The issue we have in this nation since 9-11 is we want to act on the side of caution, and it will be necessary to send you home. That's my final ruling."

At one point, Mr. Aletwei proposed that he be allowed to stay in exchange for cooperating further with authorities, who had interviewed him extensively. The judge deferred to INS prosecutor Heidi Graham, the government's representative in the proceeding.

She declined the offer: "Had we known about what he calls his misguided thinking, we would never have issued him a visa."

< snip >

"He's a peculiar case, I have to admit. I haven't heard of one like that, and I've been in the business for 35 years," Mr. Revell said.

Mr. Aletwei said that when agents asked him whether he was involved in terrorism, he said yes.

He said he proceeded to explain to agents that his desire to become a martyr was cultivated by his home country's hatred of the neighboring state of Israel and its most powerful ally, America.

Mr. Aletwei said in court Friday that he came to the United States as part of a Jordanian-sponsored student exchange program in August 2001. He said he came to earn an advanced degree in computer software engineering but secretly hoped for an opportunity to carry out a suicide bombing using explosives strapped to his body.

He said that though he had no formal training to carry out a suicide attack, he was mentally prepared.

"In my mind, I was doing a noble thing," Mr. Aletwei told Judge Rogers.

---

UT Arlington. My alma mater. The cradle of Middle-Eastern students...

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for posting this. You beat me to it !...

[MeekOneGOP]

Yes, he did consciously admit the situation. But he also admitted that he had a change from not going homicide bomber to GOING homicide bomber. (The media continue to portray them as victims, suicide bombers). He could have a change of heart again, very possibly. How bad would that be? It's a tough decision, but the judge said:

"The issue we have in this nation since 9-11 is we want to act on the side of caution, and it will be necessary to send you home. That's my final ruling."

He's 'acting on the side of caution'. The population of UTA is probably ~30,000 students. I bet 20% are from the ME. How happy are Arlington, Texas/DFW residents about that right about now?...

[Rome2000]

Mr. Aletwei said that when agents asked him whether he was involved in terrorism, he said yes.

The shocking thing is that they actually kicked him out.

[MeekOneGOP]

Jordanian student at UTA ordered deported

In a rare glimpse at the government's domestic war on terror, a Jordanian student from Arlington admitted in court Friday that he had considered becoming a suicide bomber if the United States invaded Iraq.

< snip >

"I abhor the thought processes that you acknowledge," Judge Rogers said. "The issue we have in this nation since 9-11 is we want to act on the side of caution, and it will be necessary to send you home. That's my final ruling."

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[Cindy]

"Tahir Ibrihim Aletwei, a 30-year-old software engineering graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington, spoke freely about his inclinations toward terrorism and divulged details of his interviews with federal agents during his deportation hearing.

"I was looking at America as my enemy," he said. "If someone would have approached me and asked me to do something against the country, I was willing to do it."

Mr. Aletwei said he had since had a change of heart and was confessing to help U.S. authorities better guard against people like him. He said he had not been approached by terrorists seeking to enlist him and had no target.

But when U.S. Immigration Judge D. Anthony Rogers referred to an FBI report quoting Mr. Aletwei as saying he still harbored thoughts of killing Americans, Mr. Aletwei conceded that the prospects of a U.S. invasion of Iraq had him again contemplating an attack.

Judge Rogers ordered that Mr. Aletwei be deported within five days, rejecting several pleas by the detainee to be released long enough to finish the last three months of his master's degree."

[kiras]

Glad they are deporting him. This is what we need to do now. The lives of innocent Americans depsnds on it.

[csvset]

Is there an pic of this loser available ?

[Brian Allen]

<< ...... the suspect seemed mentally unbalanced and unpredictable ..... >>

Sounds to me; my opinion only strengthened by my experiences during hundreds of trips spanning more than thirty five years into and around -- and years spent in -- North Africa, The Mid-East and Arabia; [And Malaysia, Indonesia and Sothern Philippines] like the definition of an ordinary islamofascist.

And/or of an ordinary Arab.

[Brian Allen]

BUMP!

[MeekOneGOP]

Is there an pic of this loser available ?

I didn't see one on the article. When/if it becomes available, I'll post it to you here.

Thanks...