Posted on 08/13/2006 4:54:24 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) DALLAS -- The wife of one of three Texas men arraigned on terrorism-related charges in Michigan says her husband and his relatives are not terrorists, but are simply trying to make money by reselling cell phones.
"They're locked up in jail for something that they didn't do," 20-year-old Lina Odeh told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Her husband, Louai Abdelhamied Othman of Mesquite, along with his brother, Adham Abdelhamid Othman of Dallas, and their cousin Maruan Awad Muhareb of Mesquite, are charged with collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.
Police found about 1,000 cell phones in the men's minivan. Authorities have not said what they believe the men intended to do with the phones, most of which were prepaid TracFones. But the police chief in Caro, Mich., where they were arrested, said cell phones can be used as detonators, and prosecutors in a similar case in Ohio have said that TracFones are often used by terrorists because they are not traceable.
Odeh said the men were buying the phones to sell to a man in Dallas for a profit of about $5 per phone. She said they were in Michigan because so many people in the Dallas area are doing the same thing that the phones are often sold out.
Odeh said she thought her husband and her relatives were targeted because of their Arab descent. The men's families come from Jerusalem, she said.
The men were stopped early Friday about 80 miles north of Detroit after purchasing 80 cell phones from a Wal-Mart. Police said they found about 1,000 phones in their minivan. The men were arrested Friday afternoon.
No pleas were entered at the arraignment Saturday at a District Court in Caro. A magistrate set bond at $750,000 apiece and the men were being held at the Tuscola County Jail, police said.
"All we did is buy the phones to sell and make money," Louai Othman told the magistrate. He said authorities had previously stopped the group in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Muhareb told the magistrate: "This is a misunderstanding." He said he was selling the phones to earn money to help pay for his brother's college education.
Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene told The Saginaw News in Michigan that investigators believe the men were targeting the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. He declined to say what led investigators to that belief.
Reene and the FBI did not return phone messages Saturday from The Associated Press.
Odeh said the family is working to get an attorney for the men.
"I just want everyone to know that they're innocent and they shouldn't be locked up in jail without any evidence," she said.
Her husband is a college student and they have a 2-month-old baby, Odeh said.
A pretrial hearing has been set for Friday and a preliminary exam for Aug. 24.
The arrests in Michigan came three days after two men were arrested in Marietta, Ohio, where police said they aroused suspicions when they acknowledged buying about 600 phones in recent months at stores in southeast Ohio.
Ali Houssaiky and Osama Abulhassan, both 20 and from the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, have been charged with two felonies -- money laundering in support of terrorism and soliciting or providing support for acts of terrorism -- and misdemeanor falsification. A preliminary hearing on the felony counts was set for Tuesday.
Defense lawyers said Houssaiky and Abulhassan planned to resell the phones simply to make money. They say the men were targeted only because they are of Arab descent.
He said authorities had previously stopped the group in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Put a PORK product on and IN everything...the plane food should all have some PORK or pork skin seats.....I am so sick of Muslims I could vomit.
I have a strong belief they purchased the cell phones to be used for one time communications between themselves. There is no way they could take out the bridge.
They wouldn't need to take out the bridge when hundreds of soft targets are going to be strolling across it on Labor Day.
i like that....right to the point......
I seem to recall after 9/11 there was a lot of activity centered around a Dallas mosque and Islamic charities. I don't remember offhand. I'll see if I can dig it up.
I don't think most people realize just how large the Mighty Mac really is. The Golden Gate bridge gets the glamor but it's just a baby compared to that big boy.
They usually have around 50 or 60 thousand bridge walkers.
Good question. Now, what would one guy in Dallas need with that many cell phones, what is his name and contact number, why didn't he just buy them himself, why doesn't he want the chargers, and did he ever meet el Hage?
Why was removing the batteries and getting rid of the packaging and chargers so important that the perps just had to do it while driving cross country?
And why is it the media mention the different suspected groups, but leaves out that one group was also found to have airport security information and a flight list in their vehicle?
I wonder what kind of penalty I would get for trying that stunt in Saudi Arabia?
Great catch!
I remember stories of two or three Muslims supposedly on an Amtrak train for Dallas causing the authorities some concern in the days immediately following 9/11.
no Walmarts in Texas???
This Talking Point comes courtesy of our friends at the New York Times.
In fact, as a result of news stories regarding suspicious disposable cell phone purchases, the American Civil Liberties Union is looking into legal action they might take to stifle law enforcement's investigation of Middle Easterners making large-quantity purchases.
BUMP!
We HAVE to keep an eye on the areas around our colleges and universities that have engineering, law, and medical schools. Heck, even the ones that don't!! And watch your own children't attitudes when they come home on break and at Christmas!!
They soon won't be just 'descent' people, they will be our own, just like the kid that blew himself up at the OU game last year, his roomate was Pakistani.
I wonder if he is the same guy who dropped $60,000 in Dallas in just two trips back in November. And if so, what is he doing with them.
Since they are all middle eastern, my guess is that they are:
There aren't any Wal*Marts in Arkansas?
So what were the other 999+ targets?
I remember a similar story a few years ago about huge purchases of baby formula @ Costco.
Maybe not so many this year, though, huh? This kind of publicity could stifle people's bridgewalking urges.
Holy Land Foundation, Richardson (Dalls 'burb), TX. Also a hi-tech company owner (muslim)convicted of illegal export of computers or something, same location.
Good questions.
I'd be surprised if they had the materials to make a thousand bombs that they planned to detonate remotely. I guess if each bomb were small and well-placed, they could do a great deal of damage this way, but I think there's more to the story.
Sending them oversees to terrorists there
I thought that cell phones on other continents used a slightly different kind of signal. I've heard that most cell phones that people use over here wouldn't work over there. Our company has folks who travel to Europe a bit, and I think I've heard of some people getting special cell phones for that travel.
Or using them for communications for dope and illegals smuggling from Mexico.
This idea seems very plausible.
Bill
I read somewhere that an ingredient in the battery is used to process meth-amphetimine--the phone had prepaid minutes on them--so after using the minutes they could recycle the batteries for drugs and use the money to fund terrorism--they seem to be working awfully hard to make $5.00 a phone.
Computer company was Infotech of Richarson, but there were two companies with almost the same name back in the 90's in Dallas. I worked for the one that was the "good" company.
This Infotech sold computer classroom training, dabbled in imports and did anything to make a buck. People used to call us all the time to see if we could fix their problem (and there were a lot of complaints) with the other Infotech.
Something about this story doesn't add up. Fisrt, they are not supposed to have a job, even be self-employed, if they are on a green card or have a student visa. Second, why isn't the IRS all over them for tax evasion?
If they bought 1,000 phones for a $5 profit, then they would make $5,000 - LESS EXPENSES. How in the world is traveling all over the country going to net any of them much profit? Maybe if they purchased the phones with stolen credit cards?
Strange. More here than meets the eye.
If they can buy a 1000 phones 3 at a time. I don't see why they couldn't acquire the other materials.
And if they were hispanic instead of middle eastern, I'd be more likely to believe the dope/illegal smuggling myself.
Where is the market for people paying a $5.00 premium for a cell phone being sold by Achmed Aliatollah Khumenia,Hazbolla Scumbaga Camelballa?
They must have one heck of a discount card for gas though. LOL
What would you do if you met a muslim?
Depends on the number of charges. Sat 50 charges with 50 cell phones as detonators. One call gets all. BANG x 50.
They need to provide the police with the information about recent buyers of those cell phones, if they want to be believed.
Get them for failure to submit quarterly tax payments for the profit he made doing work for the prophet.
"....the men were targeting the Mackinac Bridge,..."
There is an annual "free day" when pedestrian are allowed to walk the Mac. It is on Labor Day every year, and over 40,000 people show up for the event. What a target.
Pork Bellies For ALL!!
That depends, did you let them shred your bible when you entered their country?
It's time to perform our Christianly duties of showing the same respect they show us!
BAN THE KORAN!!
50 charges will not take out THAT bridge.
We are holding up a giant screen against a bunch of mad hornets, eventually a few of them are going to sneak through. it is only a matter of when...the next terrorist attack is 100% likely.
I pray to God that I am wrong.
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