Two Broward men charged in plot to blow up local armory, utility plants

Miami Herald ^ | 5/17/2002 | Larry Lebowitz

[Catspaw]

Posted on Fri, May. 17, 2002

Two Broward men charged in plot to blow up local armory, utility plants
BY Two Broward men charged in plot to blow up local armory, utility plants
llebowitz@herald.com

Federal authorities Friday charged two Muslim men from Broward County with plotting an armed jihad that would have included the bombing of several South Florida electrical substations and a National Guard armory.

The purported leader, Imran Mandhai, 19, a student at Broward Community College, has been in U.S. Immigration and Natrualization Service detention since Feb. 13. Mandhai is a Pakistani national living with his parents in Hollywood.

His accomplice, Shueyb Mossa Jokhan, 23, who works at an American Express processing facility in Plantation, was arrested at his Hollywood home without incident this morning by FBI agents.

Jokhan is a naturalized American who was raised in Trinidad and Tobago, which has one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in the Caribbean.

The indictment unsealed this morning alleges Mandhai was seeking funding to acquire AK-47 rifles, night-vision equipment, stun guns, pepper spray, smoke grenades and train for an armed organized ''jihad'' against the United States.

The goverment says Mandhai and Jokhan plotted to bomb Florida Power electric substations in Miami Shores and near Miami International Airport and a National Guard Armory in Hollywood as a precursor to a list of demands they intended to place on the U.S. and other governments around the world.

Mandhai and Jokhan both attended a Broward mosque but the ''jihad'' did not appear to be connected in any way to Osama bin Laden or the al-Quaeda operatives who perpetrated the suicide hijacking missions of Sept. 11.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The purported leader, Imran Mandhai, 19, a student at Broward Community College...

Reading this sets my molars to grinding in a most unpleasant way.

When is the Federal Government going to get on with its PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY, which is to "provide for the common defense". They can start by profiling ALL vistiting "students" and then DEPORTING all of the swarthy males.

Hell, at this point I would be satisfied if they would even READ the constitution. Good G*D almighty!!!!

[contessa machiaveli]

oblahdee, obladah, life goes on. nothing here, let's move on.

[cake_crumb]

"I bet these hanging chads cast a vew ballots down there."

...Apiece.

[El Sordo]

"Shueyb Mossa Jokhan, 23, who works at an American Express processing facility in Plantation.."

Does anyone know if any identity theft has been uncovered in all this?

Working in a credit processing ceter would give a person a fair amounnt of access to personal info that could be used for false identities, I'd imagine.

[cake_crumb]

"I seriously doubt that any attack by these people is purely independent and without guidance/backing from Al Quaeda in some form. Islam is a tightly controlling religion."

I doubt it too. Remember Spirographs? Islamic terrorist orginizations are about as independent as a single Spirograph drawing.

[Catspaw]

Working in a credit processing ceter would give a person a fair amounnt of access to personal info that could be used for false identities, I'd imagine.

If I'm not mistaken, credit card fraud was one of the methods al Qaeda has used to support itself and its terrorists.

[=Intervention=]

Freaking exactly. Anywhere south of Orlando needs it...

[Catspaw]

I beleive the post said they were "seeking funding" for their armory, so I would doubt that al Quaeda sponsored them

Al Qaeda funded some of their projects directly--like 9/11. But other terrorists who were trained by al Qaeda--like Ahmed Ressam, the Millennium (attempted) bomber--was self-funded--theft, robbery, credit card fraud & the like.

[Catspaw]

I haven't heard what the exact charges against these attempted terrorists are and the story doesn't say. If you find out, please post the story or let me know where it is & ping me.

[SaveTheChief]

No no no... They CAN'T be muslims, because Islam IS a religion of peace.

[cake_crumb]

"I beleive the post said they were "seeking funding" for their armory, so I would doubt that al Quaeda sponsored them"

It's still possible they got some funding through al Qaeda...just not enough. Al Qaeda has been a little strapped for cash lately, I hear. His accomplice was working "at an American Express processing facility" , which makes me wonder if AMEX is where the red flags started popping up.

[ecomcon]

166 hits.

Need to make a pin map. Like they do for the child molesters and such.

[Catspaw]

Here's the story from the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.  It adds a few more details.

Feds indict Pakistani teen in plot to blow up Port Everglades

By Jeff Shields
sun-sentinel.com
Posted May 17 2002, 5:45 PM EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE – The federal government on Friday unsealed an indictment charging a 19-year-old Pakistani immigrant with plotting to blow up the Florida Power & Light Co. plant at Port Everglades and other sites in South Florida. Named in the two-count indictment was Imran Mandhai, of Hollywood. A friend, Shueyb Mossa, 24, a naturalized U.S. citizen was charged with one count in the indictment. The government claims the two men were hunting targets in South Florida for their own “jihad” and planned to bomb electrical power stations and National Guard armories in the area. They also planned to follow up on the bombing with a list of demands to the United States and other governments around the world, the indictment alleges. In addition, the indictment alleges the men tried to acquire at least one AK-47 assault rifle for their terrorist operations and tried to obtain the release from custody of an unidentified individual who was described only as a “mujahedin” fighter. If convicted as charged, Mandhai and Mossa each face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy count. Manhai faces another maximum of five years on a charge of soliciting Mossa to commit a crime of violence. Mandhai, who was studying computer science at Broward Community College, was arrested by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service in February as he returned to the apartment he shared with his parents. He had been at an Islamic center in Pembroke Pines earlier that day. Officials said one of Mandhai's targets was the FPL plant at Port Everglades near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and that he had planned to bomb it on April 27, 2001. They declined to say why the plot failed. Law officers and associates painted an ominous portrait of Mandhai, saying he became disenchanted with American life and was attracted to militant Islamic politics soon after he arrived in the United States in April 1998. In the spring of 2001, an FBI informant reported that Mandhai was trying to organize a jihad in South Florida to bomb electrical power stations and other sites. Mandhai, law enforcement officials said, told some associates that he had received training from a man he identified only as "the marine" on how to make bombs. Officials said that in April 2001, Mandhai discussed the importance of jihad with seven Arab men, whom they refused to identify, at a meeting in Miramar. That month, they said, he also tried to buy an AK-47 assault rifle at a gun show in Fort Lauderdale for $300, but his credit card was rejected.

Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

"GET A ROPE"!

[cake_crumb]

When is the Federal Government going to get on with its PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY, which is to "provide for the common defense".

Err...sounds like it HAS woke up.

They can start by profiling ALL vistiting "students" and then DEPORTING all of the swarthy males.

Personally, I'd rather they were arrested.

[caa26]

Actually AMEX has another large office in Phoenix that I used to deal with all time in my lsat job. Cyber attacking AMEX computer systems to steal money and completely destroy their account records would do much more damage than blowing up the buidling.

[Catspaw]

Cyber attacking AMEX computer systems to steal money and completely destroy their account records would do much more damage than blowing up the buidling.

From the Sun-Sentinel article:  Mandhai, who was studying computer science at Broward Community College, was arrested by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service in February as he returned to the apartment he shared with his parents. He had been at an Islamic center in Pembroke Pines earlier that day.

[JCG]

Federal authorities Friday charged two Muslim men from Broward County with plotting an armed jihad that would have included the bombing of several South Florida electrical substations and a National Guard armory.

Get ready. This is just getting underway.

Here's a happy thought from Middle East expert Daniel Pipes:

Islamists constitute a small but significant minority of Muslims, perhaps 10 to 15 per cent of the population. Many of them are peaceable in apearance, but they all must be considered potential killers.

How does 400,000 to 800,000 -- in our country -- potential killers sound?

Pipes article here...

Muslim population in America

America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)

[CWRWinger]

For the past 13 years, I have been self employed. I cannot tolerate the 'corporate culture' environment anymore, for reasons like what you experienced. This is what we get when corporations treat America as a market.