Jim's Military News: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Showing posts with label Federal Bureau of Investigation. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2013

Bin Laden son-in-law detained overseas, brought to New York

3/08/2013 12:39:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment against a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden on Thursday that charged him with conspiracy to kill Americans, after U.S. government sources said he was arrested overseas and brought to New York.

Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a militant who appeared in videos representing al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks in 2001, had initially been picked up in Turkey and was brought to the United States in an operation led by Jordanian authorities and the FBI, the sources said.

The Turkish government deported him to Jordan, the sources said, where local authorities and the FBI took custody of him. He was brought to the United States in the last few days, a law enforcement source said.

U.S. officials including Attorney General Eric Holder announced the indictment on Thursday, saying he would be arraigned on Friday at U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan, only blocks from the site of the World Trade Centre, which was destroyed in the September 11 attacks.

Abu Ghaith becomes one of the highest-ranking al Qaeda figures to be brought to the United States for civilian trial. When Holder previously announced plans to try defendants in the September 11 attacks in the same courthouse, he was forced to back down by public opposition, and the trials were moved to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

New York police were less concerned Abu Ghaith's case would present a security problem than they were about the trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others charged with plotting the attacks, a law enforcement source said.

"It's not the same. It doesn't rise to that level," said the source, who is familiar with the department's views and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The indictment accused Abu Ghaith of acting in a conspiracy that "would and did murder United States nationals anywhere in the world," listing actions before and after September 11, 2001.

"Among other things, Abu Ghaith urged others to swear allegiance to bin Laden, spoke on behalf of and in support of al Qaeda's mission, and warned that attacks similar to those of September 11, 2001 would continue," the indictment said.

It cited a May 2001 gathering at a house in Kandahar, Afghanistan, alleging Abu Ghaith urged guests to swear allegiance to bin Laden, and it says bin Laden summoned Abu Ghaith on the evening of September 11, requesting his assistance.

Bin Laden and Abu Ghaith appeared together the next morning, when the defendant warned the United States and its allies that a "great army is gathering against you" and that "the nation of Islam" would do battle against "the Jews, the Christians and the Americans," the indictment alleges.

Continue & Read More from Reuters here

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Cynthia Osterman)
By Mark Hosenball and Daniel Trotta
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK | Fri Mar 8, 2013 12:05am GMT

Four SoCal Men Accused Of Plotting Terror Attacks In Afghanistan

11/20/2012 01:42:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen October 2008, taken by Muhammad ud-Deen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's a familiar story. Boy meets extremist. Boy converts to radical Islam. Boy "likes" jihadi videos on Facebook. Boy shares dreams of violent jihad with FBI informant. Boy goes to jail.

In this case, the FBI has arrested four defendants from Southern California who are accused of plotting terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. The complaint alleges that Soheil Omar Kabir, a 34-year-old Air Force veteran, introduced two younger men, Ralph Deleon, 23, and Miguel Santana, 21, to the teachings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born cleric who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen.

They in turn are alleged to have recruited a fourth defendant, Arifeen Gojali, 21, into a plan to travel to Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Over the course of several months, Santana, of Upland, and Deleon, of Ontario, are alleged to have conveyed their plans to an FBI informant.

For instance, while at a shooting range, Santana told the informant that he wanted to blow up a military installation, according to the complaint.

"I wanna do C-4s, if I could just put one of these trucks right here, with that," Santana said, indicating a tractor-trailer. "Just drive it into the baddest military base... If I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna take out a whole base. Might as well make it like, big, ya know."

On another occasion, Santana likened Afghanistan to "South Central," saying he wanted to go there because it was the most active spot. He also said, at one point, that he wanted to be a sniper, and that he had tried to construct an "oxide-peroxide thing, or whatever" based on an article in an Al-Qaeda publication titled, "How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom."

The complaint also states that the informant took long road trips with Deleon and Santana, during which they played lectures from Awlaki.

Deleon and Santana told the informant that they met Kabir, who lived in Pomona, at a hookah bar. Deleon described Kabir to the informant as "basically a mujahid walking the streets of L.A." Kabir, who was born in Afghanistan but naturalized as a U.S. citizen, introduced them to Awlaki's teachings, according to the complaint.

Kabir is alleged to have dissuaded Santana from joining the U.S. military, saying, "If you're going to join anything, join the other side, because that's the side where they're actually fighting for something."

The informant, a convicted pseudoephedrine dealer who has been paid $250,000 for his work for the FBI, went to a paintball facility in Corona in September with Santana, Deleon and Gojali. During a break, the informant remarked that they seemed to be rushing their opponents while the other side stayed back. According to the complaint, Gojali said they were "trying to get shaheed" -- a reference to martyrdom.

Kabir traveled to Afghanistan in the summer, and recently encouraged the others to join him there to meet up with the Taliban. According to the complaint, the others made travel arrangements and worked to obtain visas to enter Afghanistan.

The FBI also tracked the suspects activity on social media, noting when they uploaded and "liked" extremist videos. An undercover agent also entered into a discussion with Santana on a jihadi website, and got him to repeat an Al Qaeda pledge.

Deleon, Santana and Gojali were arrested on Friday and accused of providing material support to terrorists. They made their first appearance in federal court in Riverside on Monday. Kabir is also in custody.

from blogs.laweekly.com
By Gene Maddaus Tue., Nov. 20 2012 at 1:07 AM

D.C. suicide attack thwarted after FBI sting investigation

2/17/2012 09:04:00 PM SgtJim 1 comment, your thoughts are welcome too

English: FBI agents from the Washington Field ...

Image via Wikipedia

A 29-year-old Moroccan man suspected of plotting a suicide attack at the Capitol was arrested Friday near the building in an FBI sting operation, according to the U.S. Capitol Police and media reports.

“This arrest was the culmination of a lengthy and extensive operation during which the individual was closely and carefully monitored,” Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said in a statement. “The U.S. Capitol Police was intimately involved in the investigation for the duration of the operation. At no time was the public or congressional community in any danger.”

Schneider said both the Capitol Police and FBI were involved in the arrest, but did not give any further details about the individual or the suspected plot.

Fox News, which first reported the story, said the man was carrying a suicide vest containing what he believed were explosives but the materials were actually inert. He was arrested after leaving a mosque where he was praying before heading to the Capitol, the network said, adding that the suspect believed the FBI agents that were working with him were associates of Al Qaeda.

A Capitol Police spokeswoman would not confirm where the arrest was made, but Samuel Lul, an attendant at an underground parking garage at 122 C St., NW, located behind the Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant and next to the Department of Labor just blocks away from the Capitol, told POLITICO that police had shut down the garage Friday morning.

According to Lul, at around 10 a.m., police instructed him to leave the garage and sealed off an alley that gives access to the underground lot. Lul said he wasn’t told why the garage was being closed and wasn’t allowed to return until about noon.

The suspect had overstayed his visitor visa for years, and the FBI had provided him with an inoperable gun and inert explosives, officials told The Associated Press. The suspect, who is not believed to be associated with al Qaeda, also changed his mind about his target several times before finally deciding on the Capitol, the AP said.

NBC said the man lives in Alexandria, Va., was planning to go to the Capitol Visitor Center with the intention of setting off what he believed were explosives in an area full of people.

“We can confirm that there has been an arrest of a suspect in Washington, D.C. in connection with a terrorism investigation,” Peter Carr, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in an email. “The arrest was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement. Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public. Additional information will be forthcoming at the appropriate time.”

Scott Wong and Josh Gerstein contributed to this story.

Statement by Secretary Panetta on Hostage Rescue Operation in Somalia

1/25/2012 05:49:00 PM SgtJim No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome

Statement by Secretary Panetta on Hostage Rescue Operation in Somalia

            Last night U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted, by order of the President of the United States, a successful mission in Somalia to rescue two individuals taken hostage on October 25, 2011. Ms. Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen employed by the Danish Demining Group, and her Danish colleague, Mr. Poul Thisted, were kidnapped at gunpoint by criminal suspects near Galcayo, Somalia.

            Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted have been transported to a safe location where we will evaluate their health and make arrangements for them to return home.

            This successful hostage rescue, undertaken in a hostile environment, is a testament to the superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others. I applaud their efforts, and I am pleased that Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted were not harmed during the operation. This mission demonstrates our military's commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world.

            I am grateful to report that there was no loss of life or injuries to our personnel.

            I express my deepest gratitude to all the military and civilian men and women who supported this operation. This was a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are heroes and continue to inspire all of us by their bravery and service to our nation.

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