U.S. Holds Suspected Al Qaeda Trainee

Washington Post ^ | 07/20/2002 | Douglas Farah and Allan Lengel

[Pokey78]

U.S. Customs agents have arrested a Jordanian-born man who was allegedly carrying $12 million in false cashier's checks, alarming counterterrorism officials who said the suspect may have been trained in al Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials said the name of Omar Shishani, 47, who was detained Wednesday as he arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Indonesia, appears on a watch list of people trained in Afghanistan by al Qaeda. Shishani's name turned up in documents captured in Afghanistan, sources said.

[Pokey78]

Omar Shishani, 47, is shown in a U.S. Marshals Service mugshot taken in Detroit. (ho - AP)

[Skwidd]

How did they know he was a trainee? Did he wear a little paper hat or a lapel pin that said, "ask me about martyrdom"?

[Orion78]

"U.S. officials said the name of Omar Shishani, 47, who was detained Wednesday as he arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Indonesia, appears on a watch list of people trained in Afghanistan by al Qaeda. Shishani's name turned up in documents captured in Afghanistan, sources said."

[wimpycat]

ROFLMAO!

[Husker24]

Profiling wouldnt have worked on this guy.

[wimpycat]

He's a little old to be a foot soldier. He's more of a money man, if you ask me. Higher up the food chain than Moussaoui.

[timpad]

Good point. Probably the reason he was on the job...

[maranatha]

Ominous. Glad they had him on a watch list and actually caught him. I sure hope they catch the rest of them wherever they are.

[Shermy]

Follow up ping. Pegs him as a Chechen from Jordan and on Qaida check list.

Man arrested at airport with $12 million in phony checks, terrorism task force investigating

Michigan Man's Fake $12 Million Is a Mystery - Officials look for terror link (a Chechen?)

[Shermy]

Chechens in America ping.

Sure looks like a man from the North.

If you want on or off my Russia ping list, freepmail me.

[blam]

"He's a little old to be a foot soldier. He's more of a money man, if you ask me. Higher up the food chain than Moussaoui."

Yup. May be even the 'brains' of some operation.

[Fred Mertz]

He's no trainee. He's a financier or money man.

[timpad]

He's a little old to be a foot soldier. He's more of a money man, if you ask me

...and maybe the kind of rat that just might squeak if he's stepped on a little bit. Let's hope this turns out to be a well-connected rat.

[Dialup Llama]

Wow! There is nothing 'arab' in this guy's appearance at all.

[Shermy]

Is he one of the "wise men"?

Wonder if ther was any press follow-up to this July 13 story:

Feds Nab Seven In Wisconsin With illegal Visas From Qatar Embassy (3 knew 9/11 hijackers)

[Roy Tucker]

While I generally think that INS and Homeland Security are like sieves, this is a good catch. Follow the money trail, it should turn up some very interesting things,

[bandlength]

see post #10 (who's got this guy's nationality nailed)

[dennisw]

Agents of the U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force in Detroit executed a search warrant Thursday night at Shishani's home in Dearborn, Mich., where he lives with his wife.

----> DEARBORN!

[Rome2000]

Profiling wouldnt have worked on this guy.

They should be investigating everybody coming into the USA from any muslim country.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These big denomination checks would be, for all intents and purposes, useless. No bank is going to credit such a check until it clears.