Airport Arrest Turns Up Nuclear Info

A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide. Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.

When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $59,000. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files.

At a court hearing Wednesday, Dinssa was ordered held in custody until at least until Monday at the request of prosecutors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller argued Dinssa was a potential risk to the community and federal agents want to get a warrant to search his computer more thoroughly, The Detroit News reported Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Donald Scheer approved Feller's request to detain him.

Dinssa, who is from Dallas, arrived in Detroit from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam and was headed for Phoenix, Feller said. He is charged with concealing more than $10,000 in his luggage, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Regarding your link in post no. 105, let's post a bit more here.
---

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=25309

"Kicking a CAIR Extremist Off the Human Relations Commission"
By Steven Emerson
FrontPageMagazine.com | November 6, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "On October 18, the Phoenix City Council removed an individual named Marwan Ahmad from his position on the Phoenix Human Relations Commission (PHRC). The mission of the PHRC, comprised of “volunteer citizens appointed by the Mayor and City Council,” is to “advocate and promote respect and understanding among all groups, to discourage all manner and manifestation of discriminatory practices and to monitor any such abuses and to aid in correcting such practices.” Mr. Ahmad, through his words and deeds, has demonstrated time and again that he is incapable of living up to such lofty goals, and as such, the City Council made the correct move in taking him off the PHRC.

Ahmad, a Phoenix-based publisher, produces two radical newspapers, the English language “Muslim Voice” and the Arabic language “Arab Voice.” The editorial position of both papers is unapologetically pro-Hamas, including a February 2006 editorial in the “Arab Voice” hailing Hamas’ election victory in the West Bank and Gaza. A March 2006 article by Mr. Ahmad in the “Muslim Voice” invokes an Islamic parable to attack the position of the U.S. government and the international community on withholding support for the Hamas government until it renounces violence and recognizes Israel; Mr Ahmad further complains about the Treasury Department’s closing of the Hamas-linked charity, the Holy Land Foundation, whose leadership is set to go on trial next year for funneling millions of dollars to Hamas."

update:

OLF financier sentenced to a year in U.S. prison
Fri May 04, 2007 5:16 pm
Man arrested for cash at Detroit airport gets year in prison

DETROIT — An Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen held on national security concerns and convicted of currency smuggling was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison and ordered to forfeit about $60,000.

Sisaye Dinssa, 35, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court to making false statements and bulk cash smuggling.

The Dallas resident has been jailed since his arrest in November at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where dogs caught the scent of narcotics on about $80,000 in cash he was carrying from a flight from Nairobi, Kenya, via Amsterdam.

Dinssa told authorities he had $18,000 to declare and later acknowledged lying, they say.

In its original complaint, the U.S. attorney’s office listed items found on Dinssa that included articles on nuclear power, using cyanide to commit suicide and the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Investigators also found a handwritten note that said: “We’re going to seek justice. This is a powder keg waiting to go off.”

Terrorism charges never were filed. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller told U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani on Thursday that Dinssa acknowledged meeting with and financially aiding the Oromo Liberation Front, which is fighting the Ethiopian government.

“There is substantial evidence _ both direct and circumstantial _ to implicate the defendant in matters of national security,” Feller wrote in a sentencing memorandum obtained by The Detroit News.

Defense attorney Michael Linardos said the government made many unsubstantiated and irrelevant allegations against Dinssa.

“I’ve never hurt anybody, your honor,” Dinssa said.

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6468346

Thanks piasa and I’ll add a couple of blog links here for this update.

http://nazret.com/blog/media/dinssa.jpg

blog:

http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=sisaye_dinssa_gets_a_year_in_prison&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Ethiopia - Sisaye Dinssa gets a year in prison

05/03/07
11:24:08 pm, by nazret.com, 280 words, 2147 views
Categories: Ethiopia, Crime

“Ethiopia - Sisaye Dinssa gets a year in prison”
“Ethiopia - Man arrested for cash at Detroit airport gets year in prison”

BLOG ENTRY SNIPPET: “DETROIT — An Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen held on national security concerns and convicted of currency smuggling was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison and ordered to forfeit about $60,000.

Sisaye Dinssa, 35, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court to making false statements and bulk cash smuggling.

Dinssa told authorities he had $18,000 to declare and later acknowledged lying, they say.”

Here's a snippet on OLF from Wikipedia, FWIW:

[According to sources I've seen so far OLF is an ethnic Omoro group composed of people from native faiths as well as Christianity and Islam :

...Terror network
The Oromo Liberation Front was not known for its alliance with Arab militants but this was reported in 2006. The OLF's work along side the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was notified in various media outlets but it was limited compared to other militant groups in the Horn of Africa. Mail and Guardian online reported that the Somali government captured many OLF rebels along side the Arab fighters in southern Somalia, who were called upon for a jihad against the Somali and Ethiopian governments.[23] In early 2007, the U.S. District Court charged Sisaye Dinssa of cash smuggling as well as carrying items on how to use cyanide to commit suicide, information about "nuclear power" and the anniversary of September 11, 2001 attacks. He was also identified of financially supporting the OLF.[24]
OLF in Somalia
Before and during the Somalia Civil war of 2006, OLF was suspected of working with Al-Ittihad, the dominant force behind the ICU. According to BBC reports dating as far back as 1999, OLF and Al-Ittihad were receiving assistance from Eritrea as well as helping Eritrea during the Ethiopia-Eritrea 1998-2002 war.[25] In April 1998, OLF held a congress in Mogadishu electing more militant leadership.[26] Eritrea also supported the Oromo fighters with a ship load of arms and additional 1,500 Oromo fighters being shipped from Eritrea to the south Somalia OLF training center of Qorioli.[27] In July 1999, OLF was stationed at the South Shabelle region and armed by Eritrea in order to fight Ethiopia during the border war. While Eritrea was attacking Ethiopia in the north, OLF managed to attack Ethiopia from the south West region.[28]
However the Ethiopians, allied with the Somalia government temporarly stationed in Baidoa and the Puntland regional troops, attacked ICU and OLF fighters in Southern Somalia. After the Ethiopians and Somali government defeated those fighters in Somalia, Kenyan officials also arrested OLF fighters who tried to cross into Kenya border.[29]
In addition, the Somalia government captured the OLF fighters who were supporting the Islamists and their backing Al-Qaeda operatives.[30] OLF fighters who were arrested in Somalia admitted their involvement with the radical Islamists and admitted of being trained in Eritrea.
They were noted being part of the 270 Oromo militants of OLF trained in Mogadishu with the Islamists before they were captured.[31] Leaders of the Somali state, while talking about OLF's alliance with Al-Ithad and Al-Qaeda, stated that OLF's destabilizing influence in the horn of Africa should be addressed.[32] Around seven OLF fighters surrendered to Kenyan authorities early in January 2007, in Garissa district. [33] OLF captives also confirmed being deployed in Somalia from Eritrea. Some of the captured fighters stated that they lived in Yemen before joining the Front in Eritrea agitated by a propaganda campaign by OLF radio.[34]...

They reportedly still have offices in Washington and Germany

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.