Second N.Y. Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty

Reuters | Monday, March 24, 2003 | By CAROLYN THOMPSON

[JohnHuang2]

Second N.Y. Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty

By CAROLYN THOMPSON .c The Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A second of six Yemeni-American men accused of training at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks pleaded guilty Monday to charges he supported al-Qaida.

Shafal Mosed, 24, entered the plea to a charge of knowingly and unlawfully providing and attempting to provide material resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al-Qaida.

Under a plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with investigators. In exchange, prosecutors dropped one charge and agreed to seek a lighter sentence of eight years. He could have faced 15 years. Mosed was ordered held until sentencing, scheduled for July 16.

In January, co-defendant Faysal Galab reached a deal with the government in which he agreed to testify against the other five men. Since then, negotiations have been underway involving all of the others, defense and prosecuting attorneys have said.

Mosed, of suburban Lackawanna, a U.S.-born former college student who worked as a telemarketer, acknowledged that he bought a uniform and trained in the use of guns and a grenade launcher at al-Farooq training camp near Kandahar and performed guard duty while there from April to June 2001.

He also admitted hearing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden speak ``about 50 men who were on a suicide mission.''

The married father of one admitted that he knew before he went to Afghanistan that the trip was illegal and that bin Laden was associated with the camp.

The six men, all American citizens of Yemeni descent, were arrested in September and charged with violating a 1996 law that prohibits giving money, weapons or other support to foreign terrorist organizations.

Prosecutors have said the men were awaiting orders from bin Laden's group to carry out an attack in the United States but have acknowledged there was no evidence they posed an imminent threat.

The alleged leader of the group, Yemeni-American Kamal Derwish, was believed killed in a CIA air strike on Nov. 3 in Yemen, U.S. officials have said.

[JohnHuang2]

Monday, March 24, 2003

Quote of the Day by Erasmus

[zingzang]

Under a plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with investigators. In exchange, prosecutors dropped one charge and agreed to seek a lighter sentence of eight years.

That's great, he could be out on the street in less than 10 years. The ACLU and it's ilk will never cease to amaze me.

[Bigg Red]

In exchange, prosecutors dropped one charge and agreed to seek a lighter sentence of eight years.

Okay, so what happens to him after that? Is he then free to remain in the US? If so, that is an outrage! I think that after his 8 years he should be released into the custody of guys who lost friends and family on 9-11.

[piasa]

Mosed, of suburban Lackawanna, a U.S.-born former college student who worked as a telemarketer, acknowledged that he bought a uniform and trained in the use of guns and a grenade launcher at al-Farooq training camp near Kandahar and performed guard duty while there from April to June 2001.
He also admitted hearing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden speak ``about 50 men who were on a suicide mission.''

Apparently given the timing of that bin Laden speech it looks like it's probable there were 50 men and not just 19 destined to "auger in" on Sept 11, 2001.

Thankfully we didn't see ten planes auger in on ten targets.

I bring it up again because lately there's been some sympathetic whining from the surrender-junky/bush-bashing crowd about the poor little Lackawanna Six's prison time being largely "political."

[kittycatonline.com]

Mosed, of suburban Lackawanna, a U.S.-born former college student who worked as a telemarketer

I suppose that might explain things. Probably got sick of being cussed at and hung up on a hundred times a day...