Category Archives: Homegrown Jihad

Al Shabaab Support Ring Broken Up

Two Muslim Americans are under arrest and 12 other individuals, including five Islamic U.S. citizens, have been charged with acts of terrorism that include providing money, personnel, and other material support to the Somali-based terrorist organization al Shabaab.

Results of an FBI-led global investigation were announced this week at Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, where indictments were unsealed charging individuals in Minnesota, Alabama, and California. Twelve of the 14 under indictment are fugitives believed to be in Somalia, demonstrating the weakness of treating Jihad as if it was a law enforcement issue and not war.

These indictments and arrests shed further light on a deadly pipeline that has routed funding and Islamic Jihadists to al Shabaab from the Muslim community in cities across America.

The US government designated Somalia-based al Shabaab a terrorist organization in 2008. The group has ties to al Qaeda and has made numerous public statements threatening to attack the United States and its citizens.

Jihadist terrorist organizations such as al Shabaab continue to recruit U.S. citizens from Muslim communities in the U.S. and elsewhere to train and wage Jihad and to provide support for their Jihadist terrorism.

The two Jihadists arrested this week—females who were naturalized U.S. citizens and residents of Minnesota—have been charged with raising money to support al Shabaab through door-to-door solicitations and teleconferences in Somali Muslim communities in Minnesota and other locations in the U.S. and Canada. The Justice Department claims that in some cases, funds were raised under the false pretense that they would be used to help the poor, but it is just as likely that the fundraisers were simply asking for zakat donations, which can go to Islamic charities, the poor and any of 8 approved destinations under Shariah law.  One of those approved destinations is to those “fighting in the way of allah.” We can only hope that the Justice Department has a better understanding of zakat than their statement indicates.

The other indicted Jihadists—mostly young men—were charged with leaving the U.S. to join al Shabaab in Somalia.

Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Minneapolis, Mobile, and San Diego played a particularly significant role in this investigation, illustrating how widespread and far-reaching the threat of Jihad in America has become.

In Minnesota alone, between September 2007 and October 2009, at least 20 Muslim men traveled from Minneapolis to Somalia for al Shabaab terrorist training. Many of them ultimately fought for the Muslim terrorist group against Ethiopian forces, African Union troops, and the weak, transitional government there. At least one man from Minneapolis went on to become the first known U.S. citizen suicide bomber.

These individuals are wanted for providing material support to the Somalia-based Islamic Jihadist terrorist organization al-Shabaab.


Omar Hammami of Alabama

Jehad Serwan Mostafa of California

Abdikadir Ali Abdi of Minnesota

Abdisalan Hussein Ali of Minnesota

Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax of Minnesota

Farah Mohamed Beledi of Minnesota

Abdiweli Yassin Isse of Minnesota

Ahmed Ali Omar of Minnesota

Khalid Mohamud Abshir of Minnesota

Zakaria Maruf of Minnesota

Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan of Minnesota

Mustafa Ali Salat of Minnesota

More information on this case here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2010m8d6-14-terrorism-suspects-indicted-in-three-US-states?cid=examiner-email


New Al Qaeda Leader Lived in USA for 15 Years

As if we needed any more evidence of the enemy in our midst, we have fresh reports that 35-year old Adnan Shukrijumah, pictured in this post, has now taken an operational leadership role in Al Qaeda.

Shukrijumah has an “interesting” background. Born in Saudi Arabia, Shukrijumah moved with his family to the United States when he was a teenager. He grew up in Florida, where his mother still lives. His father was an Imam and reportedly on the Saudi government payroll, no doubt for Islamic dawa operations in Florida.

Shukrijumah attended Broward Community College in Broward County, Florida, but it is not entirely clear when he joined Al Qaeda. He has been among the FBI’s most wanted terrorists for years.

The fact that he has evidently elevated to a high level operational position in Al Qaeda suggests that Al Qaeda could once again be focusing on planning attacks in the USA…

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/06/report-new-al-qaida-leader-knows/

Muslim Man Threatens to “Blow Up” Police Department in Louisiana

Press Release: On August 4, 2010, at 10:03 a.m., a police officer with the Vinton Police Department stopped 34-year-old Abdulrahman Abdallah Helou of Lafayette for speeding on Interstate 10. Helou was not able to provide proof of insurance for his vehicle. The officer then removed his license plate for an insurance violation.

Upon completion of the traffic stop, Helou traveled to the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Sulphur in an attempt to retrieve his license plate. After being denied his license plate, Helou called the Vinton Police Department and threatened to “blow up” the police department. Officials with the Vinton Police Department then obtained an arrest warrant for terrorizing.

At 3:20 p.m., Helou returned to the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Sulphur. Troopers with Louisiana State Police Troop D responded and apprehended Helou. He was booked on the warrant into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center with a $250,000 bond.

Chicago man charged with aiding al Qaeda

A 26-year-old Chicago man was trying to help finance al-Qaida and hoped to blow himself up in a suicide mission, authorities say.

Shaker Masri was arrested Tuesday evening and charged by federal prosecutors on Wednesday with knowingly intending to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States.

Authorities said Masri told an FBI informant that he planned to go to Somalia and help al-Qaida, and asked the informant for money to help buy guns once they got there. He also told the informant that he hoped to become a martyr by wearing a suicide vest, the criminal complaint states.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/masri-jihad-al-qaida-99959424.html

Two Jihadists Convicted in 2007 Plan to Bomb JFK Fuel Storage Tanks

Russell Defreitas, a former JFK cargo handler, and Abdul Kadir, once a member of Guyana’s parliament, have been convicted on multiple conspiracy charges in their plan to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport’s fuel depot back in 2007.

TTB readers may recall that, when this plot was uncovered, the media ridiculed it as far-fetched. The New York Times relegated the story to page 37 of its daily paper edition. Evidently, a jury in New York decided that the plot was serious enough to send these two Jihadist terrorists to prison for a long time.

Defreitas and Kadir sought to kill thousands of innocent civilians and damage the US economy by  blowing up the fuel tanks at JFK airport, as well as the pipelines that run underground through a nearby Queens residential area.

Secret FBI recordings revealed Defreitas boasting of his familiarity of JFK Airport and the potential weaknesses of its security.

“For years, I’ve been watching them,” Defreitas remarked of the huge fuel tanks while scouting for potential targets with an undercover FBI informant.

Defreitas also pointed out the seeming absence of any security, quipping, “No solider. Nothing at all.”

In other recordings, Defreitas raged about punishing America with an attack that would “dwarf 9/11.” He also can be heard telling the FBI informant that his U.S. citizenship gave him cover to conduct Jihad:

“They don’t expect nobody in this country to do something like this,” he said. “They have their eyes on foreigners, not me.”


Alaskan Jihadist Plots to Assassinate Americans, Gets 8 Year Sentence

In yet another sign that we have lost our minds (and other bodily organs) in America, we have this recent case in Alaska in which a Muslim follower of Anwar al-Awlaki compiled a list of 15 Americans to assassinate, conducted research into improvised explosive devices and discussed it all on Jihadi internet forums–and was sentenced to 8 years in prison for his crimes.

Will this man, Paul Gene Rockwood, Jr., aka “Bilal,” abandon his Jihadist beliefs during his stay in prison, or will his Jihadist tendencies be reinforced behind bars, like so many other cases?

http://www.ktva.com/ci_15569709?source=most_viewed

It Gets WORSE: Try to Send M4s to Hezbollah, Get ONE Year in Prison

This is disheartening, not just because one criminal and one likely Hezbollah member will be out of prison in 12 and 18 months respectively, but because the US Justice Department is touting this in a press release as a victory against terrorism.

Let’s summarize what has happened here.

Michael Katz, 58, of Plainsboro, NJ, and Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed 44, of Brooklyn, NY participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These goods were to support the Jihadist terrorist group, Hezbollah. This case was related to another case against four people, including Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb, who were charged with attempting to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of approximately 1,200 Colt M4 Carbines (machine guns).

Katz and Mohammed were sentenced to 12 months and 18 months respectively for their role in this activity. We suppose that this may have been part of some plea deal and perhaps these two will testify against the other defendants in these cases, but nevertheless, as far as we’re concerned, Hezbollah is an enemy of the United States (see our posts on Hezbollah in the Categories section on the left for more details) and aiding and abetting Hezbollah should be worth more than 12 and 18 months in prison.

We don’t know what the story is on this character Michael Katz, but it’s pretty clear what Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed is. Does DOJ think that this guy will emerge from federal prison in 18 months reformed and no longer a believer in Hezbollah’s Jihadist doctrine?

Again, why aren’t these people being brought up on more serious charges? At least, maybe we need new laws to increase sentences for these crimes when they involve terrorist groups. At best, someone at Justice needs to show a pair and think hard about trying people for treason again…

For Immediate Release
July 14, 2010
United States Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Two Sentenced for Transporting Stolen Goods to Support Hizballah

PHILADELPHIA—Michael Katz, 58, of Plainsboro, NJ, and Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed, a/k/a “Alaa Ahmed Mohamed Abouelnagaa,” 44, of Brooklyn, NY, were sentenced today for conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and trafficking in counterfeit goods, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Katz was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison; Mohamed was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The charges against the two were filed in conjunction with a case against four people, including Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb, who were charged with attempting to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of approximately 1,200 Colt M4 Carbines (machine guns).

In late 2007, Katz and Mohamed participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These stolen goods included cellular telephones, laptop computers, Sony Play Station 2 systems, and automobiles, which the conspirators caused to be transported to destinations outside Pennsylvania, including overseas.

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ordered Katz to pay a fine in the amount of $1,000 and ordered Mohamed to pay a fine in the amount of $250.

The charges against Katz, Mohamed, and four conspirators, were filed in November 2010. Katz pleaded guilty March 4, 2010. Mohamed pleaded guilty April 9, 2010.

RIDICULOUS Prison Sentences for Chicago Al Qaeda Members

Cousins Zubair Ahmed, 31, of North Chicago, Ill., and Khaleel Ahmed, 29, of Chicago, are Al Qaeda members who have been convicted of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists this week.

Zubair was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Khaleel was sentenced to 8 years and 4 months.

This joke of a punishment for members of Al Qaeda would be funny if this wasn’t so serious.

Here we have members of a Jihadist organization dedicated to the destruction of the United States and to killing Americans and they will be out of prison by the time they are 41 and 38 respectively?

Does anyone else see the problem with this?

Are we to believe that two committed Jihadis who joined and supported an organization with the goals and track record of Al Qaeda will have learned their lesson through a stay in federal prison and get out docile and no longer committed to Jihad?

Does anyone at the Justice Department understand Jihad at all?

Why weren’t these men tried for treason? How many Americans do Al Qaeda and other Jihadist organizations have to kill and maim in order for us to recognize that they are at war with us and they are the ENEMY and not just some really bad international crime gang?

This is yet another example of why trying to deal with Jihad as if this was not a war but rather a law enforcement problem will not work.

These two men will go to prison, where they will be free to practice their faith and will meet up with others with similar views, possibly including some of the prison imams who harbor Jihadist tendencies. Chances are good that Zubair and Khaleel Ahmed will not emerge in a decade as reformed Jihadists, but as hardened Jihadists. That is certainly not unheard of among Muslims and Muslim converts in our prison system. In fact, rather than the prison system having a calming effect on these two guys, it is just as likely that they will influence their fellow inmates and spread Jihad to other violent offenders.

http://www.examiner.com/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2010m7d15-Muslims-sentenced-for-terrorism-support-conspiracy?cid=examiner-email

18 American Jihadist Terrorists

It’s all too easy to forget that Jihad is not just something that is happening in Iraq or Afghanistan. It’s happening here in the USA and we’ve got photographic evidence to remind Americans of the enemy within. We must never forget…

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Bledsoe. In June 2009, Muhammad shot two unarmed US Army soldiers outside a Little Rock, Arkansas recruiting center, killing one and wounding the other.

Daniel Patrick Boyd. In July 2009, Boyd, who received terrorist training in Pakistan, was arrested in North Carolina in connection with a plot to carry out a terrorist attack on Marine Corps Base Quantico

Abdul Rahman Yasin. Yasin is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He was born in Bloomington, Indiana.

Adam Yahiye Gadahn. This native of California played in a heavy metal band before traveling to Pakistan to join Al Qaeda.

Anwar al Awlaki. This New Mexico native is now the Imam of choice for Al Qaeda, essentially leading the organization's operations in Yemen.

Omar Hammami. This Alabama native was raised in the Bible Belt of Dixie but nevertheless turned to Jihad and now is a member of Al Shabaab Jihadist group in Somalia

Nidal Malik Hasan. US Army Major who shot dozens at Fort Hood, Texas in November 2009, killing 13 and wounding 30

Najibullah Zazi. This Denver resident travelled to Afghanistan where he received terrorist training. Upon his return, he plotted to bomb New York subways.

John Walker Lindh. A Washington D.C. native, the infamous American Taliban was captured in Afghanistan during the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001. He is serving a 20 year prison sentence.

David Coleman Headley. Formerly known as Daood Sayed Gilani, is a Pakistani American from Chicago, who conspired to launch the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India. He changed his name to hide his Muslim identity.

Colleen Larose, aka Jihad Jane, this Michigan native/Philadelphia resident, plotted to kill a cartoonist who drew a picture of the muslim prophet mohammed.

Faisal Shahzad. This Connecticut resident/Pakistani immigrant attempted to bomb Times Square in New York City

Moussa Ali Hamdan. Former New Jersey resident and Hezbollah member, was arrested in Paraguay on June 17th in connection with 31 crimes, including terrorism financing.

Aman Hassan Yemer, Ahmed Abdulah Minni, Waqar Hussain Khan, Ramy Zamzam, and Umar Farooq. These five American citizens from Virginia travelled to Pakistan to join the Jihad, only to be caught by authorities there and imprisoned.

Al Qaeda Launches Online English-Language Magazine

Inspire: The New Al Qaeda Online English-Language Magazine

Al Qaeda posted an online propaganda magazine in English on Tuesday, a move that could help the terror group recruit inside the United States and Europe.

The magazine, called Inspire, is being run by Al-Qaeda  in Yemen, which continues to play a prominent role in the Jihadist group’s global activities.

It is easy to snicker at these efforts, but they must be taken seriously. Language which may seem corny or trite to regular Americans can have deep motivational meanings for young Muslims who are already predisposed to Jihad. And clearly America has a serious domestic Jihad problem with arrests and incidents becoming more numerous in the past year, from Boston and New York to Fort Hood and Little Rock, from North Carolina to California and from Oregon and Colorado to Georgia and Florida.

The Jihadists have already had great success in infiltrating our homeland. They recognize this and the new magazine “Inspire” is designed to cultivate those already successful efforts. This is not something to be taken lightly…

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/07/al-qaida_launches_english_prop.html