|
|
|
 |
Donate Here By Secure Server
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! Thanks Registered |
|
Posted on 10/11/2003 1:36:58 PM PDT by Destro
U.S. says ex-suspect tied to Chechen terrorists
The Associated Press
10/10/03 7:22 AM
DETROIT (AP) -- Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to revoke the bond of a former terrorism suspect, saying new information has linked him to terrorists in Chechnya.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Straus made the request to U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds on Thursday, saying that Russian intelligence had tied Omar Shishani, 49, of Dearborn, to Islamic extremists in the breakaway republic, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The married father of two originally was arrested in July 2002 after returning from Indonesia with $12 million in counterfeit cashier checks.
Shishani pleaded guilty in April to smuggling and counterfeit securities charges in a plea deal and was freed after nine months in jail on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
Straus said the Russian Federal Security Service and confidential informants have said Shishani is "Fatah" or "Fathki," a Jordanian who recruited and raised money for Islamic extremists to fight the Russians in Chechnya in the mid-1990s.
Straus said Shishani recently tried to contact an acquaintance at the Jordanian embassy in Washington, apparently to try to obtain a passport to flee the country.
Shishani's lawyer denied the charges.
"He hasn't been in Chechnya since 1971 when he was 16 years old," attorney Corbett Edge O'Meara said. "He has never been a religious person or a political person."
Separatists in the province of Chechnya have been battling Russian forces for years.
Shishani testified in April against the government's star witness in a Detroit terrorism trial. Shishani told jurors that Youssef Hmimssa was angry with four terrorism suspects for stealing documents that he needed to establish a new identity.
Edmunds hasn't set a hearing on the bond revocation request. O'Meara has asked Edmunds to sentence Shishani to time served rather than the 57-71 months called for in a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Ex-suspect denies ties to Chechen terrorists
The Associated Press
10/11/03 1:51 AM
DETROIT (AP) -- A former terrorism suspect, who prosecutors now say is linked to Chechen terrorists, says his life has fallen apart since he was first arrested in July 2002.
Omar Shishani, 49, of Dearborn, said he lives in fear and has been unable to find work since he was caught returning from Indonesia with $12 million in counterfeit cashier checks.
"Half the people in the Arab community think I'm working for the government," Shishani told the Detroit Free Press for a Saturday story. "The other half think I'm a terrorist. Everyone is afraid of me."
Shishani, a naturalized U.S. citizen who is married and has 9-year-old twin daughters, said he can't find a job and is $50,000 in debt. He said his wife must work double shifts at her job to support the family.
Shishani pleaded guilty in April to smuggling and counterfeit securities charges in a plea deal and was freed after nine months in jail on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
On Thursday, the government asked U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds to revoke that bond based on new information from Russian intelligence services. A hearing is set for Oct. 20 in Detroit.
According to federal prosecutors, the Russian Federal Security Service and confidential informants have said Shishani is "Fathki," a Jordanian who recruited and raised money for Islamic extremists to fight the Russians in Chechnya in the mid-1990s.
"I know who they are talking about, and I am not him," Shishani said. He said the real Fathki died in the late 1990s. Shishani said he's hoping someone who knew Fathki will come forward to confirm his story.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Straus declined Friday to comment on Shishani's assertions. He said the issue will be dealt with in the court hearing later this month.
Shishani's lawyer, Corbett Edge O'Meara, said prosecutors want to jail Shishani to get even with him for testifying against the government's star witness in last spring's terrorism trial in Detroit.
O'Meara has asked Edmunds to sentence Shishani to time served rather than the 57-71 months called for in a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Hmm, must be part of that disinfo plan you guys are running. Cooperating on jihad in order to convert the West to Orthodoxy or something.
|
|
|
|
|
Donate Here By Secure Server
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! Thanks Registered |
|
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.