Madrid case leads to lawyer in Oregon

Federal agents on Thursday detained a Washington County lawyer in connection with the deadly March 11 terrorist attack in Madrid -- the first American connection to the worst terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001.

Brandon Mayfield, 37, who lives in Aloha and played a minor legal role in the Portland Seven terrorism case, was picked up at his West Slope law office on a material witness hold Thursday morning, said Tom Nelson, Mayfield's attorney.

Thursday, April 29, 2004. 10:36am

New charges laid against 9/11 suspect

A Spanish judge has filed new charges against a Moroccan man wanted in connection with the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001.

The man was initially accused of belonging to the Al Qaeda terrorist network but is also alleged to have played a role in planning the attacks and acting as a courier.

This is the first time a judge has directly linked a suspect connected with the March 11 train bombings in Spain to the September 11 attacks on the US.

Judge Baltasar Garzon has charged Moroccan man Amer Azizi with multiple counts of murder and for planning the attacks on mainland America.

In this new indictment, Judge Garzon says he is charging Azizi with as many deaths and injuries as were committed on the September the 11 attacks.

Azizi is also accused of providing lodgings in Spain for the planners of the September the 11 attacks, among them, suicide pilot Mohammed Atta, and acting as a courier between the plotters.

--BBC

Lotsa dots to connect:

Tuesday, 4 May, 2004

Madrid suspect held in Morocco

The Moroccan authorities have confirmed that they are holding a man suspected of involvement in the 11 March train bombings in Madrid.
Hicham Ahmidan, 24, was picked up by police in Tangiers on 25 March, Moroccan security officials said.

They said he was held on drugs charges, but made no mention of other offences.

Mr Ahmidan - a relative of one of the Madrid suspects who died during a police raid in April - is wanted by Spain in connection with the bombings.

He is among five men named in international arrest warrants issued on 26 April.

Family visit

Morocco's national security agency said Mr Ahmidan illegally emigrated to Spain and later turned to drug dealing in Madrid.

They said he returned to Morocco to visit his family in early March, and was arrested later that month.

Mr Ahmidan is related to Jamal Ahmidan, alias El Chino or Mowgli, one of the suspected leaders of the Madrid attacks.

Jamal Ahmidan is one of seven men who appeared to have blown themselves up deliberately when their flat was surrounded by Spanish police on 3 April.

The bombing of commuter trains in Madrid killed 191 people. The attacks are believed to have been the work of Islamic militants with links to al-Qaeda.

The Spanish authorities have brought provisional charges against more than a dozen suspects - many of whom are Moroccans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3682395.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3670627.stm

Thursday, 29 April, 2004

Spain suspects 'were informants'

The Spanish interior ministry says it is investigating reports that two suspects in the 11 March Madrid train bombings were police informants.
The move came after Spain's El Mundo newspaper said Moroccan Rafa Zuher and Spaniard Jose Emilio Suarez had been in contact with police before the attacks.

The men are suspected of providing dynamite for the attacks, which killed 191 people and injured more than 2,000.

The paper said they passed on details about drug deals and other crimes.

Link

Mr Suarez, a former miner, was arrested a week after the attacks and is the only Spanish-born suspect in custody.

According to El Mundo, he was an informant for the National Police, providing information about trafficking in weapons, drugs and explosives.

The paper said Mr Zuher, who was arrested later in March, had passed on information to the Civil Guards in Madrid about low-level drug deals involving hashish and ecstasy.

El Mundo, citing security sources for its report, said Mr Zuher was believed to be the link between Mr Suarez, who allegedly supplied the explosives, and the cell that carried out the attacks.

After the report was published, the Spanish interior ministry issued a statement saying it had ordered an investigation.

The ministry said that if necessary, the results of the inquiry would be handed over to a judge.

Train bombers targeted community center, cemetary

WAR ON TERROR: The suspects believed responsible for the bombings in Madrid last month chose more targets because of Spain's involvement in Afghanistan

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , MADRID, SPAIN
Thursday, Apr 15, 2004,Page 6

Terrorists believed responsible for the Madrid train bombings last month also considered attacks on a Jewish community center and cemetery outside Madrid, a senior Spanish investigator said on Tuesday.

A map showing the two sites was found in the ruins of an apartment destroyed 10 days ago when at least six of the suspected bombers blew themselves up to avoid capture by the police, the official added.

The police also found evidence that the men were investigating the possibility of hitting at least one other target that would inflict major casualties.

"We are sure they were looking at an attack of the Jewish targets," the official said. "They apparently had other alternatives as well, although we are less sure of them."

The bombers were plotting new attacks because, it appears from evidence found in the apartment, they were unhappy with suggestions by the newly elected Socialist government that it would double Spain's contingent of soldiers in Afghanistan to 250 troops.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who will be sworn in soon as prime minister, has pledged repeatedly since his election victory that he will remove Spanish troops from Iraq unless they are placed under a UN mandate by June 30. But he told US Secretary of State Colin Powell at a meeting on March 24, for example, that Spain was prepared to play a bigger role in Afghanistan, and other leading Socialists have said that the plan was to double Spain's troop strength.

The full text of a painstakingly reconstructed video found in the ruins of the apartment and released by the police Tuesday offered the terrorists' first criticism of the Socialists, who defeated Spain's center-right government in the election three days after the March 11 bombings.

"After discovering that the situation has not changed, and that your new government announced it would start its mandate with yet more fighting against Muslims and the deployment of more crusader troops to Afghanistan, the Death Squadrons and Ansar al-Qaeda have decided to continue on the path of holy war and resistance," the speaker on the video said.

The speaker added that unless all Spanish troops were withdrawn from Muslim lands within a week, the holy war would continue.

One senior official said investigators believed that the speaker, who was masked and wearing explosives strapped around his waist and who was flanked by two other masked men, was Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, the Tunisian thought to have been at the center of the train bombings. He was later killed in the suicide explosion in the apartment.

The suspected plan to attack Jewish targets near the town of Hoyo de Manzanares north of Madrid was first reported in the daily newspaper El Mundo on Tuesday.

The Interior Ministry spokesman, who declined to be identified by name, insisted that there was no evidence to confirm "the intention of targeting any Jewish target around Madrid."

However, Fernando Esteban, the mayor of Hoyo de Manzanares, said that Spanish authorities had alerted him last Thursday that the Jewish center had been a target and that "security measures had to be taken."

"They told us documents were found in the Leganes apartment in which the center appeared as a target," he said in a telephone interview.

The mayor said that he was told that only the Jewish center, which is next to one of Spain's few Jewish cemeteries, was marked on the map, and that the police combed the area around both sites for explosives. None were found.

Jacobo Israel, president of Madrid's small Jewish community, said this would be the first time that a Jewish site in Spain had been threatened by Islamic extremists, but that the news did not come as a surprise.

"We always thought we were a target and I think this just confirms the reality," he said in a telephone interview.

Investigators have drawn no concrete link between the Madrid train bombings and attacks against five targets last May in Casablanca, Morocco, in which 47 people, including 12 suicide bombers, were killed. However, one of the places attacked was a Jewish cemetery; another was a Jewish community center; a third was the Casa de Espana, a Spanish-owned restaurant and social club.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/04/15/2003136733

Moroccan lawmakers detained at Portland airport
Legislators on a goodwill tour are held for the FBI in an incident called "absolutely unfortunate"

Sunday, February 01, 2004
ERIC MORTENSON

Seven members of the Moroccan parliament, visiting Portland as part of a goodwill tour of the United States, were removed from a Delta Air Lines flight Saturday morning and detained at the Portland International Airport in what officials described as an embarrassing series of coincidences, wrong assumptions and miscommunications.

The Moroccans were released but missed a connecting flight and spent all day at the airport before boarding another flight late Saturday night. In the meantime, officials searched their luggage, the FBI questioned their intent and their American hosts -- including Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz -- found themselves apologizing for what appeared to be a case of post-9/11 jitters.

"They're like congressional people," Cruz said. "They're national elected officials."

When the Moroccans arrived Wednesday in Portland for a round of talks with scholars, political leaders and business people, they were greeted by the Royal Rosarians and bouquets of roses, said Cruz, who was the lead host for the visit.

"I'm very embarrassed, I'm really frustrated by their treatment here today," she said.

Speaking through an interpreter, the visitors said they fully understand security precautions but said their treatment was unacceptable. They carried diplomatic passports and Delta officials were aware of their status, they said.

If the situation were reversed and seven members of the U.S. Congress were touring Morocco with proper papers, "the situation would never materialize," Ahmed Salhi said.

The Moroccans, Cruz and a Transportation Security Administration official gave this account:

The group was preparing to board a 7 a.m. flight when one of their members, Abdellah Abbassi, left to get a cup of coffee, leaving his carry-on bag behind. The other six got on board before he returned, and in the meantime, someone reported the unattended baggage.

Abbassi was detained when he returned and tried to board, and the other members of parliament protested to the flight crew. Due to the language barrier, neither could understand the other. The pilot, using his authority, ordered the Moroccans off the flight, and the Transportation Security Administration became involved.

The visitors' luggage was removed from the plane, and officials became alarmed when they saw documents in Arabic with 911 written on them. It turned out that one of the group's host in Dallas, a previous stop, had given them instructions to call the 9-1-1 emergency number if they got into trouble, but it was mistaken for a reference to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Andrew Coose, the TSA's deputy security director in Portland, said the documents were removed from the luggage and photographed but apparently not returned to the correct bags, a development that further infuriated the Moroccans.

The FBI began to question the group, a process that was delayed until an agent who spoke Arabic could arrive at the scene. The agents determined the visitors were not a threat and released them.

Coose was apologetic about the incident, calling it "absolutely unfortunate." The agency was not equipped to handle the incident quickly, he said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/special/pdx/index.ssf?/base/news/1075640113239800.xml

http://www.koin.com/webnews/20042/20040507_mayfieldc.shtml

Family, Friends Shocked At Alleged Terrorism Link

Anna Katayama, KOIN 6 News

PORTLAND -- Brandon Mayfield's mother is on her way to Portland to offer support to her grandchildren and daughter-in-law.

Avnel Mayfield says the family's bank accounts have been frozen and that her daughter-in-law was left with no access to money.

"He is the most mild-mannered, soft-spoken, compassionate person there ever could be," she said of Brandon.

Avnel Mayfield can't fathom the suggestion that Brandon Mayfield might be connected to a terrorist group. She says her son went to college on a track scholarship, served in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and put himself through law school.

"He has no smirch on his career, he has never been disciplined by the Oregon State Bar. He's a god-fearing young man," family friend Tom Nelson said.

Friends in Oregon are still shocked about the accusations are doing what they can to help Mayfield's wife.

"I'm upset this has leaked out. There has been no charges against my husband, and we pray for his early release," Mona Mayfield said.

Mayfield met his wife while he was a soldier stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash. He converted to Islam a few years after the marriage.

"It seemed to give him a spiritual anchor. I think he felt secure in that faith -- he raised his children as Muslims," Avnel Mayfield said.

She wonders if Brandon's faith is part of what got him in trouble. Reflecting on her son's arrest and the ransacking of his home, she questions the Patriot Act.

"I think this is a wakeup call that this is the age of Big Brother. I think the Patriot Act is an abomination against the laws of our country. I don't think anyone's safe.

http://www.komotv.com/stories/31141.htm

Oregon Arrest Just The Latest In String Of Northwest Terror-Related Arrests

May 7, 2004

By Tracy Vedder

SEATTLE - Brandon Mayfield's arrest is the latest in a string of terror investigations in the Northwest.

Some key players: Ahmed Ressam arrested in Port Angeles in 1999; James Ujaama indicted in the summer of 2002; and the Portland 7 arrested later that fall.

On the surface, there have been no connections between them. But all were convicted of aiding either al-Qaida or the Taliban and that raises some serious questions about terror cells operating in our area.

"Ties like this are surprising," says Rob Jacobs, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

The investigation of Brandon Mayfield is only the latest in a series of high profile terrorist investigations centered in the Northwest.

"We don't really know why there seems to be some interest in the Northwest by al-Qaida and perhaps by others who wish us harm," said U.S. Attorney John McKay. "But we do know that means we need to be as vigilant as we can be."

It started with Ahmed Ressam. In December of 1999, he crossed the border into Port Angeles carrying explosives and other bomb-making materials in the trunk of his car. Ressam trained in Osama bin Ladin's terror camps in Afghanistan.

It seemed an isolated incident, but was it?

"The fact that there are connections from Seattle all the way to incidents in Spain," says Jacobs, "indicate that it could be a much more extensive network here."

The Anti-Defamation League tracks terrorist activity. It followed the Ressam case and then the 2002 investigation of former Seattle man James Ujaama, accused of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon. After that, the arrest of the Portland 7 - six men and one woman convicted of trying to join the Taliban and wage war against the U.S.

The ADL doesn't know of any specific connections between these cases, but wonders if it's a sign of a deeper problem here.

"The networks of these cells," muses Jacobs, "the potential for terrorism is much more widespread than we expected."

U.S. Attorney John McKay agrees, the Northwest seems to be part of the terrorist's playbook. "I think what it means is there are indications of potential activity here, maybe more so than in other parts of the country."

McKay adds that his office is concerned that with the arrest of Mayfield, there is yet another alleged terrorist connection to the Northwest. And he tells KOMO 4 News that means additional protection at key places such as buildings and bridges, and taking a closer look at transportation safety.

excerpts from terrorist-sympathizing NY Times article:

Arrest in Bombing Inquiry Was Rushed, Officials Say
By SARAH KERSHAW and DAVID JOHNSTON

Published: May 8, 2004

...The law enforcement officials said they were afraid that Mr. Mayfield, who is originally from Kansas, might become a fugitive if he knew he was under suspicion. So monitoring that was just getting started was abruptly halted. Mr. Mayfield was arrested before investigators had fully examined his phone records, before they knew if he had ever met with any of the bombing suspects, before they knew if he had ever traveled to Spain or elsewhere overseas.

......Only a few weeks ago, AvNell Mayfield said, Mr. Mayfield was telling her how upset he was by the case of Capt. James Yee, a Muslim Army chaplain who had been accused of espionage before charges were dropped. Captain Yee and Mr. Mayfield had both been stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State and had crossed paths while stationed in Germany, she said.

"He thought that was so unfair, that our government could ruin a person like that and no public apologies were made," Mrs. Mayfield, a seventh-grade art teacher, said. "I never thought it would happen to my family."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/national/08ARRE.html?ex=1084593600&en=4e6f4101b54d4a11&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1

an excerpt from a recently posted news report:

By DANIEL WOOLLS, Associated Press Writer

MADRID, Spain

...........The seven detonators found inside the bag were of the same kind used in the train bombings, the government says. Authorities also found an Arabic-language cassette tape with verses of the Quran inside the van, which was discovered in Alcala de Henares, about 20 miles northeast of Madrid, hours after the attacks.

The announcement of the van's discovery was the government's first public admission of a possible Islamic link in Spain's worst terrorist attack, which it initially blamed on Basque separatists.

Other fingerprints found inside the van included those of Moroccan Jamal Zougam, a prime suspect in the attacks who is under arrest and charged with mass murder and terrorism.

Police say cell phones used to activate the detonators in the backpack bombs used in the train attacks were traced to the cell phone store Zougam ran in Madrid.

Witnesses in Alcala de Henares reported seeing men wearing ski masks and carrying backpacks get out of the van on the morning of the attacks, headed for the train station.

Next day's news from UK:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=519243

US lawyer is arrested over link to bombs in Madrid
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
08 May 2004

An American lawyer under investigation for possible links to al-Qa'ida was being held as a material witness to the Madrid train bombings yesterday after a fingerprint believed to be his was found on a bag of detonators in Spain, government and law enforcement officials in both countries said.

The lawyer, Brandon Mayfield, 37, was arrested at his home outside Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and detained at a secret location. The working theory is that Mr Mayfield, an army veteran and practising Muslim, may have been recruited to teach the Madrid train bombers how to build explosives.

He has not been charged with a crime and there were conflicting reports last night on the certainty of the fingerprint match. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed only that it executed two search warrants in the Portland area. It has not named Mr Mayfield, or offered any comment.

But off the record federal agents told reporters that Mr Mayfield was being held as a material witness, a status that allows them to hold him more or less indefinitely, and in secret, without charge. They said the investigation was at a preliminary stage, and was continuing.

Mr Mayfield's family confirmed he had been arrested while tending his tomato patch at his home in the Portland suburb of Aloha. They said the FBI had searched his home and his law offices, and questioned several family members.

His family said he was innocent. "I think the reason they are holding him is because he is of the Muslim faith and because he is not super happy with the Bush administration," Mr Mayfield's brother Kent told the Reuters news agency. "So if that's a crime, well, you can burn half of us."

The possibility that a United States citizen might be involved in an al-Qa'ida plot has no known precedent. Information was sketchy last night as to the nature of Mr Mayfield's military training - whether, for example, he had expertise in explosives - and the degree to which federal agents had been tracking his movements. It was also not known whether Mr Mayfield had been to Spain recently.

Unnamed US and Spanish law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that an army veteran fitting Mr Mayfield's description had been under investigation for possible links to al-Qa'ida.

Mr Mayfield trained at Fort Lewis, Washington - the same base where the Washington sniper John Allan Muhammad learned to handle firearms. Mr Mayfield met his Egyptian-born wife there and converted to Islam in 1989. The army helped put him through college and he passed the Oregon bar exam in 2000. Neighbours and friends said yesterday that his law practice specialised in immigration and child custody cases.

One of Mr Mayfield's clients in a custody case, Jeffrey Battle, was one of seven Portland-area Muslims sent to prison last year on charges that they were conspiring to wage a holy war on behalf of al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. But Mr Mayfield had no connection with the criminal case.

The clue leading to Mr Mayfield's arrest was a fingerprint, or fingerprints, found on a plastic bag containing detonators of the type used in the 11 March train bombing attacks.

The bag was recovered from a stolen van in the Madrid suburb of Alcala de Henares, which is where three of the four bombed trains began their fateful journeys.

After Spanish investigators drew a blank on the prints, the FBI matched it. A special evidence analysis team from the FBI travelled to Spain to help with the case, but it was not clear how Mr Mayfield's prints had come to be on file.

There appear to have been doubts about the conclusiveness of the evidence, because Mr Mayfield was not arrested immediately.

A Spanish investigator told the LA Times earlier this week that the match could not be confirmed. Last night, Spanish government officials told reporters they believed the prints belonged to Mr Mayfield, but they spoke on condition of anonymity and did not issue a formal statement.

Spanish authorities have charged 18 people and jailed 12 of them in connection with the Madrid bombings, which killed 191 people and injured hundreds of others. Six suspects have been charged with mass murder and the rest with collaboration or belonging to a terrorist organisation.

Another seven suspected bombers blew themselves up last month after they were cornered by Spanish police in a hideout filled with explosives.

In the US, the FBI and other agencies have warned that al-Qa'ida might attempt an attack or attacks on public transport systems this summer. It is not known whether the warning stems from the investigation into Mr Mayfield, or from another source.

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