U.S. Man Questioned About London Suspect [Ujaama, Seattle]

Authorities Questioning Seattle Man About Individual Sought in Connection With London Bombings

An American once accused of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon is being questioned about a man sought in the London bombings, U.S. officials said Friday.

James Ujaama, a Muslim convert from Seattle, was charged in 2002 with trying to set up a terrorist training camp for Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for cooperating with terrorism investigations until 2013.

Three federal law enforcement officials said Ujaama is being questioned about Haroon Rashid Aswat, who also was implicated in the 1999 plan to establish a training camp in Bly, Ore. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

British authorities are looking into whether Aswat had been in close contact with the suicide bombers just before the July 7 attacks. They have asked Pakistan to search for Aswat.

The officials did not say whether Ujaama has provided any useful information on Aswat, and Ujaama's lawyer, Peter Offenbecher, declined to comment.

Federal officials have said Ujaama's help was crucial in last year's indictment of al-Masri on charges that included trying to establish the Oregon camp. Al-Masri, formerly the head preacher at London's Finsbury Park mosque, also faces British charges of incitement to murder. He is being held in England.

Aswat is one of two al-Masri associates who are referred to but not named or charged in the 2002 indictment of Ujaama by a federal grand jury in Seattle, officials said. The other is Oussama Kassir, a Lebanese-born Swede, who was convicted of weapons violations in Sweden in 2003.

Aswat and Kassir traveled to the high desert area of Oregon in 1999 to check out property Ujaama identified as suitable for a training camp because it was on terrain comparable to Afghanistan's and could be used to store guns, ammunition and bunkers, the indictment said.

As emissaries of al-Masri, they flew to New York on an Air India flight, then traveled to Bly via Seattle, the indictment said.

Aswat and Kassir "inspected the proposed jihad training camp at the Bly property ... and they and others participated in firearms training and viewed a video recording on the subject of improvised poisons" in November and December 1999, it said.

The following February, the men lived in Seattle where they "expounded the writings and teachings" of al-Masri, the indictment said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

This sounds very, very questionable to me. These anonymous leakers appear to be protecting themselves, not their country's security, leaking secret information but withholding their names.

This could be disinformation, pf course, but it sounds more like yet another clintonoid betrayal by disgruntled intelligence agents who want to keep their lines of communication open with the leftist press.

Note: For archival purposes:
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"U.S. Man Questioned About London Suspect [Ujaama, Seattle]"
ABC News.com ^ | July 22, 2005 | By MARK SHERMAN, The Associated Press
Posted on 07/22/2005 7:18:46 PM PDT by aculeus
"Authorities Questioning Seattle Man About Individual Sought in Connection With London Bombings"

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An American once accused of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon is being questioned about a man sought in the London bombings, U.S. officials said Friday.

James Ujaama, a Muslim convert from Seattle, was charged in 2002 with trying to set up a terrorist training camp for Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for cooperating with terrorism investigations until 2013.

Three federal law enforcement officials said Ujaama is being questioned about Haroon Rashid Aswat, who also was implicated in the 1999 plan to establish a training camp in Bly, Ore. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1078719/posts
"'Unusually light' prison sentence given to Ujaama"
Seattle Times ^ | Saturday, February 14, 2004 | Mike Carter
Posted on 02/15/2004 12:26:16 PM PST by garjog

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1077899/posts
"Bin Laden's own doctor once treated Ujaama"
Seattle Times ^ | Feb 12, 2004 | Mike Carter
Posted on 02/13/2004 8:57:58 PM PST by JohnathanRGalt

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1006087/posts
"Swedish police arrest militant Muslim named in Ujaama case."
Seattle Times ^ | October 22, 2003 | Mike Carter
Posted on 10/22/2003 1:07:36 PM PDT by tubavil

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/921132/posts
"Ujaama will testify in New York about al-Qaida links"
Seattle Times ^ | June 1, 2003 | Mike Carter
Posted on 06/01/2003 12:24:12 AM PDT by sarcasm

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/893094/posts
"Islamic convert James Ujaama pleads guilty to conspiring to aid Taliban"
The Associated Press | 4/14/03 3:46 PM
Posted on 04/14/2003 1:39:09 PM PDT by freeperfromnj

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/788497/posts
"Video shows Ujaama talking about jihad"
The Seattle Times ^ | Nov. 13, 2002 | Ray Rivera
Posted on 11/13/2002 5:43:03 PM PST by JohnathanRGalt

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/743686/posts
"'I love bin Laden ... I hate Bush': Man connected to Ujaama, hijacking suspect speaks out"
The Seattle Times ^ | 9/3/02 | David Heath
Posted on 09/03/2002 1:27:30 AM PDT by ppaul

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/725317/posts
"The friends of James Ujaama"
Jewish World Review ^ | July 31, 2002 | Michelle Malkin
Posted on 07/31/2002 7:33:13 AM PDT by alloysteel

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164565,00.html

"Zambia to Deport London Suspect to Britain"
Wednesday, August 03, 2005

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "LUSAKA, Zambia — A terror suspect wanted for questioning about the July 7 bombings that killed 56 people in London (search) will be deported to Britain, President Levy Mwanawasa (search) said Wednesday.

The president said that British and American investigators have interrogated Haroon Rashid Aswat (search) in Zambia and have agreed he should be deported to Britain. No date for the deportation was given."

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