Federal prosecutors claim link between Virginia terrorism suspects, al-Qaida

The Associated Press | 7/25/03 4:48 PM | MATTHEW BARAKAT

[freeperfromnj]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors who accuse nine U.S. citizens and two other men of conspiring to join a Muslim terror group presented an address list and other evidence Friday to try to link the suspects to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida group.

But the evidence wasn't enough to persuade U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema to keep one defendant, Sabri Benkhala, in jail. Brinkema ordered Benkhala released to home detention at his father's house in Falls Church, upholding a previous release order issued by a magistrate.

"There's no question the government has raised some significant issues here," the judge said. "There's some smoke here, but I don't believe in this case the government has met its burden."

Benkhala, a U.S. citizen, was the fourth of the 11 defendants to be set free while awaiting their November trial on charges of training to join a Pakistani terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Laufman said Friday at a detention hearing for Benkhala that the suspects aimed to train with Lashkar so they could fight alongside the Taliban against Americans after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Prosecutors asserted that Benkhala has "a history of association with terror" and presented previously sealed evidence linking him to a man named Ahmed Abu-Ali, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia in the May 12 Riyadh bombings that claimed 25 victims.

Laufman said Abu-Ali, who once lived in Falls Church, joined an al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia in 2001, and was told he needed to either organize a terrorist operation or return to the United States and establish an al-Qaida cell.

Benkhala had Abu-Ali's phone number on a handwritten address list, Laufman said.

The phone list also included a contact for Ibrahim Buisir, a Libyan-born resident of Ireland who ran an Islamic charity suspected of funneling money to bin Laden, Laufman said.

John Benato, Benkhala's attorney, said Abu-Ali and Benkhala attended the same university in Saudi Arabia, and since Benkhala grew up in Falls Church and Abu-Ali lived there, it was natural they had known each other.

"The government has proffered that my client is guilty by association," Benato said.

Benkhala's father, Anthony, who put up his Falls Church home as collateral to ensure his son's presence at trial, said he has no doubt about his son's innocence.

"I knew all along my son is not a violent man," the elder Benkhala said.

[Dog]

Prosecutors asserted that Benkhala has "a history of association with terror" and presented previously sealed evidence linking him to a man named Ahmed Abu-Ali, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia in the May 12 Riyadh bombings that claimed 25 victims.

Laufman said Abu-Ali, who once lived in Falls Church, joined an al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia in 2001, and was told he needed to either organize a terrorist operation or return to the United States and establish an al-Qaida cell.

Benkhala had Abu-Ali's phone number on a handwritten address list, Laufman said.

The phone list also included a contact for Ibrahim Buisir, a Libyan-born resident of Ireland who ran an Islamic charity suspected of funneling money to bin Laden, Laufman said.

[gaspar]

The US Federal Judge is a bitch not to be trusted. She would reject most motions even if someone shoved a stick of dynamite up her arse and asked her to cough.

[Angelus Errare]

Just a broad shot in the darkness of tin foil, wasn't Falls Church one of the hubs for the DC snipers?

[Neanderthal]

"U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema . . . "

Probably a Klinton judge. The press rarely outs the 'Rat judges.

[angkor]

Yes, they were scouting Falls Church for several days and finally shot the FBI employee there. Also Falls Church is the nexus of Virginia Wahabbism; many of the CAIR/AMS/WAMY leaders are in Falls Church (sometimes their offices); many of the 9/11 hijackers obtained their phony VA ID cards from a Falls Church broker (who normally supports the Honduran illegal alien community of Bailey's Crossroads); and of course Falls Church was the former home to several bin Laden brothers.

And with all that, you'd be surprised to know that most of Falls Church is a nice, upscale town with excellent schools.

[Coop]

Nice neighbors

[xsmommy]

yeah, i am thrilled to know he is coming home. /sarcasm

[patton]

Bailey's etc. are NOT in Falls Church, dangnabbit. They are in FAIRFAX.

[Coop]

Don't blame your problems on us.

Who's your Congressional rep again? :-D

[xsmommy]

i know who is rep is!!!! ; )

[Coop]

Careful. Being a woman, you're most at risk for one of his Congressional rep's drunken tirades.

[xsmommy]

hey, jimmy...bring it! i want to discuss the Catholic church's stance on abortion with him. i have a few things to say to him after his rant at Blessed Sacrament to the priest, a few months back.

[Coop]

I'm surprised he even goes through the door of one of those {hiss!} Catholic churches. It must be the promise of free wine.

[xsmommy]

had you read that story? i was positively apoplectic when i read about it! i told Patton that i saw the Moron at a light on Broad street once, when i was picking my kids up from school, it was all i could do not to scream at him.

[Coop]

i told Patton that i saw the Moron at a light on Broad street once, when i was picking my kids up from school,

You were picking up kids, Moron was probably looking for kids to pick on.

[patton]

or pick up.

[Coop]

That's about the only scandal he hasn't been involved in...

SO FAR!

[piasa]

fyi

[Future Useless Eater]

>>they were scouting Falls Church for several days and finally shot the FBI employee there. Also Falls Church is the nexus of Virginia Wahabbism; many of the CAIR/AMS/WAMY leaders are in Falls Church (sometimes their offices); many of the 9/11 hijackers obtained their phony VA ID cards from a Falls Church broker (who normally supports the Honduran illegal alien community of Bailey's Crossroads); and of course Falls Church was the former home to several bin Laden brothers.



Also note, their meeting place, the LARGE mosque just a few
hundred FEET east of the Home Depot shooting.

John Allen Mohammad was ALSO there, in that city block,
TWO OTHER times earlier that year...
Once in January where he was seen alone in the Michael's store,
and again in August, same store, when he was seen WITH
Malvo.

In BOTH the January and August visits, they had no
means of transportation other than busses. They NO DOUBT
visited that pro-Al-Qaeda mosque, in walking distance to the
Home Depot, and most likely met these terrorists.

Their leader [Abdur-Raheem] had the most in common with
John Allen Mohammad; They were BOTH black Gulf I war veterans, Washington State natives, and Islamic converts.

It was here in mid-August, IMO, that Malvo got his strongest
Islamist brainwashing. And we already knew that the pair
had started their plans to terrorize in August.