Posted on 09/13/2004 8:35:18 PM PDT by taher
An astonishing news about the Campaign 2004. According to KefForKerry.com website, on August 28, 2004, a fundraiser was held at a summer camp in Franklin, Massachussets, for Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards. The fundraiser was sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), and other Armenian ethnic organizations. The problem with this Franklin, MA summer camp, called Camp Hayastan (camphaiastan.org), is that it was a terrorist training ground by the ASALA terrorist group, according to FBI indictment of Mourad Topalian (Murad Topalian). As the 1999 Associated Press report writes (incl. below), “Mourad Topalian, who has served as chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, was arrested Thursday on a five-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, concealing and storing stolen explosives, improper storage of explosives, possession of machine guns and possession of firearms with defaced serial numbers.”
“The indictment charged Topalian with directing a group that stole weapons and explosives used in a car bombing outside the Turkish mission to the United Nations in New York City in October 1980. Three people were hurt.”
The report goes on, “Topalian also was accused of sending people to Massachusetts and Beirut, Lebanon, for weapons and bomb training. The indictment said Topalian demonstrated how to use submachine guns at a camp [Camp Haiastan] in Franklin, Mass., in 1976 and 1977.”
This terrorism case has been widely reported, including in official reports: TERRORISM in the United States 1999 (www.mipt.org/pdf/TerrorismInUS1999.pdf) or HRSA Bioterrorism and Hospital Preparedness (www.hrsa.gov/bioterrorism/ resources/FBI_30yearsTerrorism_1999.htm). For AP press reports: http://www.ict.org.il/spotlight/det.cfm?id=557, and http://www.arf.am/English/ARFNews/1999/199910.htm.
One thing that is surprising is how did the Secret Service allow for a presidential contender go to a terrorist training ground, for an event organized by the organization whose president is in prison for among others to use the summer camp for illegal purposes? And what is the message being sent, especially to the youth at whom this camp is aimed, according to the website?
Friday, October 15, 1999 CLEVELAND (AP) - A prominent Armenian-American activist was charged with plotting attacks against Turkish targets in the United States for two decades, including a bombing that injured three in 1980.
Mourad Topalian, who has served as chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, was arrested Thursday on a five-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, concealing and storing stolen explosives, improper storage of explosives, possession of machine guns and possession of firearms with defaced serial numbers. Topalian could get 31 years in prison if convicted.
The indictment charged Topalian with directing a group that stole weapons and explosives used in a car bombing outside the Turkish mission to the United Nations in New York City in October 1980. Three people were hurt.
U.S. Attorney Emily Sweeney said the alleged plot was intended to draw attention to alleged atrocities that left up to 1 million Armenians dead in 1915 when Armenia was ruled by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies committing genocide, saying any deaths were the result of a civil war.
Topalian, who works as an administrator at a local junior college, appeared in U.S. District Court on Thursday and declined to comment after he was freed on $100,000 bond. There is no phone listing under his name on the address provided by the government and he could not be reached today.
The investigation began with the 1996 discovery of weapons and explosives in a suburban Bedford storage garage that was opened after the rent went unpaid for six months.
According to the indictment, Topalian was questioned in 1988 about the New York bombing and denied any involvement.
Topalian also was accused of sending people to Massachusetts and Beirut, Lebanon, for weapons and bomb training. The indictment said Topalian demonstrated how to use submachine guns at a camp in Franklin, Mass., in 1976 and 1977.
The indictment also mentions two 1981 California bombings in which no one was hurt but it did not specify whether Topalian was involved. They were at the Orange County Convention Center in Anaheim and the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills.
Before taking a job at Cuyahoga Community College this year, Topalian worked as a consultant to the president of Citibank Florida from 1995 and helped Miami attract a $130 million federal job training grant. He attended a March 1996 White House coffee session with other political and community leaders to discuss issues with President Clinton, the White House confirmed.
Welcome. Were you involved in the prosecution?
ping
the article didnt mention the religion of the terrorist. ill have to assume since he is armenian that he is a christian.
No, in fact I don't know anything more than what the press and government reports wrote, which I cited.
bmp
most likely, but what difference does it make his religion? The issue at stake is not the terrorist or the terror act itself, but rather that this training ground is used by children, and a US presidential contender using it for a fundraiser -- and Secret Service or other appropriate bodies either not aware at all or simply ignorant.
I doubt it, but it may be worth a check.
Ping
the thing is i see posts claiming that when we dont mention the religion of an islamic terrorist its because of the liberal media and stuff. in this case i noticed it BECAUSE of these posts. if people hadnt been complaining about it i never would have considered it...
Valid point indeed. But note that ASALA is an Armenian terrorist organization that has killed about a hundred people since 1970, and it would be mostly, if not all, consisting of Christians. Then there were Tamil fighters, Aum Sinrike, etc., all of different religions. There is a good overview and points at URL: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/t22.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.