Israel arrests Cleveland imam deported by U.S.

Associated Press ^ | January 9, 2007

[flutters]

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is holding the former imam of Ohio's largest mosque, deported last week by the U.S., the Shin Bet internal security service said for the first time today.

Fawaz Damra, 46, was arrested because of his ties to Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group classified by Israel and the U.S. as a terror organization, the Shin Bet said. No further details were provided.

Damra was deported by American authorities last week because he concealed his ties to Islamic Jihad when he applied for U.S. citizenship in 1994.

Originally from the West Bank city of Nablus, Damra was deported to Jordan last week after being incarcerated in Monroe County, Mich., for a year while awaiting deportation.

He crossed into the West Bank last Thursday, and his whereabouts had not been disclosed, though his family alleged that he had been arrested by Israel.

Islamic Jihad, a small radical group with links to Iran and Syria, has carried out dozens of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel.

Damra served as imam at the Islamic Center of Cleveland in Parma. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.

[theDentist]

Hahaha!

[ishmac]

Debbie Schussel had some interesting background about this case on her blog yesterday.

[The Blitherer]

lol, this guy's week just keeps getting worse!

[C210N]

And if you Islamfascists want him back, you'll just have to kidnap an Israeli soldier to exchange for him (along with a thousand of his comrades).

...unless Olmerd is replaced.

[pandoraou812]

Good!!!

[flutters]

Thanks for the link.

It looks like Damra picked the wrong country.

[poobear]

"He crossed into the West Bank last Thursday, and his whereabouts had not been disclosed, though his family alleged that he had been arrested by Israel."

Leave it to the Associated Press. His family alleges and they print a headline as fact.

I hope they are holding him although all the Pali's will do is demand his release and several hundred more...

Does anyone know what Hezbollah did with that young Israeli soldier they kidnapped before the rocket attacks last year?

[VaBthang4]

LOL! Great news.

[ishmac]

Oops, I actually wanted this link for the background. Glad this guy's going to get his, although I hope Olmert & Co don't trade him for an Israeli soldier.

[NeoCaveman]

Ha!

[3AngelaD]

"Seems he was arrested by Israelis after Fatah terrorists who control the Palestinian Authority turned him over. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says they turned Damra over to the Fatah-controlled PA, so what happened after that seems to indicate that Fatah, which is feuding with its HAMAS terrorist brethren, gave him over to the Israelis."
This really is pretty funny. FATAH TERRORISTS handing over bad actors to Israel. Maybe there is some hope for that part of the world after all. We should deport more of them to Jordan and the Palestinian authority.

[browngreengold]

Darn!

I just hate it when that happens.

[sheik yerbouty]

Allahu fubar!

[ishmac]

FATAH TERRORISTS handing over bad actors to Israel. Maybe there is some hope for that part of the world after all.

Of course there are always factions on the other side. Terror groups are rife with internecine warfare. I wish our side would exploit them more wisely.

[TonyRo76]

Well, well, well!

[flutters]

The family is mad. I imagine it's just a matter of time before they file a lawsuit.

Update here:

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1168422225322880.xml&coll=2