Posted on 04/21/2009 10:55:10 PM PDT by Cindy
Oussama Abdullah Kassir, 43, who was extradited from the Czech Republic on terrorism charges in 2007, faces multiple charges including supporting al-Qaeda by attempting to set up the camp in rural Oregon from 1999 to early 2000 and later setting up websites on explosives and poisons.
(Excerpt) Read more at ynetnews.com ...
A good Swedish name!
Click on the link to read the threads regarding Kassir:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/kassir/index
ping
We have a lot of Swedish terrorists - one is languishing in jail in Bosnia, another is just standing trial in London, etc etc, and strangely enough, they all have funny sounding names.
What is really, really odd is that our government and our socialist opposition parties are the only ones who haven’t noticed. Odd, don’t you think?
(/dripping sarcasm)
Lebanese News site:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=101002
“Lebanese author of Al-Qaeda training manuals set to stand trial”
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Christine Kearney
Reuters
SNIPPET: “NEW YORK: Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of a Lebanese-born Swedish man accused of helping set up a militant training camp in rural Oregon and operating websites showing how to assemble bombs. Oussama Abdullah Kassir, 43, who was extradited from the Czech Republic to New York in 2007, faces multiple charges, including supporting terrorism and Al-Qaeda, by attempting to set up the camp in Bly, Oregon from 1999 to early 2000.
Prosecutors say Kassir and two others involved in the case were followers of Egyptian-born Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-armed Muslim cleric who is serving a seven-year sentence in Britain for inciting his followers to murder nonbelievers.
James Ujaama, a former community activist in Seattle, has pleaded guilty to trying to help Al-Qaeda militants and may testify at the trial in Manhattan federal court as part of a plea agreement.The other suspect in the case, Haroon Rashid Aswat, one of Masri’s chief aides, is appealing against extradition to the United States.”
SNIPPET: “Kassir, who was born in Lebanon but became a Swedish citizen in 1989, was arrested in Prague in 2005 during a layover while traveling from Stockholm to Beirut. Aswat, a British citizen, was arrested in Zambia. Masri, who also faces charges for helping plot the capture of 16 western hostages in Yemen in 1998, won an interim order in 2008 from the European Court of Human Rights blocking his extradition to the United States.
Masri and Aswat’s extradition appeals are pending before the court.”
He set them up the bomb.
Swedish News:
http://www.thelocal.se/19004/20090422/
(AFP/Thelocal.se
“Swedish terror suspect worked for Al-Qaeda: prosecutors”
Published: 22 Apr 09 07:25 CET
SNIPPET: “Kassir, 43, is charged with conspiring with others to set up a “jihad” (holy war) camp in Oregon, in the northwest United States, that would offer military weapons training for Muslims interested in fighting in Afghanistan.”
SNIPPET: “Kassir arrived in the United States in 1999 and spent a year at an Oregon ranch, imparting religious teachings at a Seattle mosque before returning to Europe, according to the prosecution.
“You are going to see a knife that he used for training at the ranch,” Farbiarz told the jury as Kassir, in a red tunic, listened through an interpreter.
“You will see the bomb making manuals and the poison making manuals,” he added.
Farbiarz said next week he would call James Ujaama, a former activist from Seattle who has admitted supporting the Al-Qaeda network and is now a witness for the prosecution.
Kassir allegedly admitted before witnesses he supported Al-Qaeda and its boss Osama bin Laden.”
Blog:
Note: Photo included.
April 21, 2009
“US: Swedish Man Charged With Setting up al-Qaeda Training Camp in Oregon on Behalf of British Cleric Abu Hamza.....”
ON THE INTERNET:
http://search.nwsource.com/search?query=kassir&sort=date&from=ST&searchtype=network
http://www.seattlepi.com/search/pisearch.asp?userquery=kassir&x=0&y=0&group1=site
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=alimasharli&view=videos
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0974670170/qid=1133393692/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/102-6558286-1611305
#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMvOdgQ-1EQ
“ABU HAMZA & GLEN JENVEY”
(Added June 11, 2007)
http://www.terrortracker.co.uk
#
http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=1840189789
“Terror Tracker: An Odyssey Into Pure Fear” by Neil Doyle
http://www.militantislammonitor.org
#
http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3930
“Terror Trial Of Oussama Abdullah Kassir Set To Begin In New York”
April 13, 2009
Terror Trial Of Oussama Abdullah Kassir Set To Begin In New York
April 13, 2009 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - T
SNIPPET: “An apparent associate of Kassir’s, James Ujaama, from Seattle, WA has already plead guilty to aiding al-Qaeda and is expected to testify for the prosecution.
An alleged accomplice, Haroon Rashid Aswat is fighting extradition to the United States.
Both of the suspects were disciples of the radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri, a one-armed, one eyed Muslim cleric who is serving a seven-year sentence in UK for issuing a fatwa justifying the murder of non-Muslims.
http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=nyterrorid=4.13.09%2Ehtm “
A Look at Haroon Rashid Aswat:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/haroonrashidaswat/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/aswat/index
QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1603333/posts?page=87#87
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1901988/posts?page=18#18
http://internet-haganah.com/harchives/006246.html
28 September 2007
“Oussama Kassir reflux”
Note: See graphics at link above.
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Shortly after these graphics were released, individuals were arrested in Bosnia and Denmark in connection to a plot to launch a terrorist attack in Europe. This was the same round of arrests that put Irhabi007 and Co. behind bars.”
87 posted on September 29, 2007 6:25:39 PM PDT by Cindy
####
####
http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/28sep07/kassir_internet_counts.pdf
#
http://internet-haganah.com/harchives/006246.html
28 September 2007
“OUSSAMA KASSIR REFLUX”
#
http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/000078.html
December 15, 2005
“”YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE COPPERS!!””
SNIPPET: “The jihadist last heard promising to violently resist any attempt to capture him was capture without a fight after making the mistake of taking a flight from Sweden to Beirut by way of Prague. Too bad for Oussama...”
####
####
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/September/07_nsd_760.html
United States Announces Extradition
of Accused Terrorist from Czech Republic
WASHINGTON – Oussama Abdullah Kassir, a/k/a “Abu Abdullah,” a/k/a “Abu Khadija,” an individual who is charged in the Southern District of New York with, among other things, conspiring to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, has been extradited from the Czech Republic. The charges relate to his participation in an effort to establish a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon, and his operation of several terrorist websites. Kassir was taken into FBI custody this morning in Prague.
The announcement was made today by Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Michael J. Garcia, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mark J. Merson, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner of the City of New York.
On Dec. 11, 2005, Kassir was arrested by Czech authorities, during a layover in Prague, as he was traveling from Stockholm, Sweden, to Beirut, Lebanon. The arrest was based on a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, and a corresponding arrest warrant on file with Interpol. Kassir was thereafter detained in Prague, awaiting extradition to the United States. The superseding indictment was returned on Feb. 6, 2006 by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of New York. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan. According to the complaint and the superseding indictment filed in Manhattan federal court:
Kassir conspired with Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, a/k/a “Abu Hamza” (hereafter “Abu Hamza”) and Haroon Rashid Aswat, and others, to establish a jihad training camp on a parcel of property located in Bly, Ore. As it was used by the conspirators in this case, the term “jihad” meant defending Islam against its enemies through violence and armed aggression, including killing the enemies of Islam, if necessary, in order to expel non-believers from holy Muslim lands.
The purpose of the Bly jihad training camp was to provide a place where Muslims could receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in preparation for a community of Muslims to move to Afghanistan. Once in Afghanistan, the men in the community would have gained enough familiarity with weapons at the Bly jihad training camp to fight jihad or to continue with additional jihad training in Afghanistan. In a letter faxed from one of the co-conspirators to another, the property in Bly was described as located in a “pro-militia and fire-arms state” that “looks just like Afghanistan,” and the author stated that the group was “stock-piling weapons and ammunition.”
In late 1999, Abu Hamza asked Kassir and Aswat to travel from London, England, to Bly, Ore., to assist with establishing the jihad training camp. Prior to their departure, Abu Hamza gave Kassir and Aswat approximately £4,000 to pay for expenses incurred while establishing the jihad training camp. Thereafter, on Nov. 26, 1999, Kassir and Aswat arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, after which they traveled to Seattle, Wash. and then to Bly, Ore.
In Bly, Kassir complained to a witness that there were only a few men available to train at the jihad training camp. Kassir also told witnesses that he supported Usama Bin Laden and al Qaeda, and that he had previously undertaken jihad training in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Lebanon. A witness also saw Kassir in possession of a compact disc that contained instructions on how to make bombs and poisons.
Kassir’s terrorist Web sites, which he operated from approximately December 2001 until the time of his arrest, also contained instructions about how to make bombs and poisons. Kassir established at least three different websites, listed in the superseding indictment, which contained such instructions, including “The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook” and “The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook,” as well as other terrorist materials. At least one of these websites was located on an internet server that was at the time located in White Plains, N.Y.
The superseding indictment, which names Kassir as a defendant in 12 of its 19 counts, also charges Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, a/k/a “Abu Hamza,” and Haroon Rashid Aswat, both of whom are presently detained in England awaiting extradition to the United States on the charges. The three men are charged together in four counts with offenses relating to their efforts to establish the jihad training camp in Bly, Ore. Kassir is charged individually in a separate count relating to the jihad training camp, and in seven counts relating to his operation of terrorist websites. Seven counts in the Superseding indictment charge Abu Hamza individually with conspiracy and substantive offenses relating to hostage taking in Yemen, in 1998, and facilitating violent jihad in Afghanistan and supplying goods and services to the Taliban, in 2000 and 2001.
Abu Hamza was arrested in May 2004 by the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard in London, England, on a warrant relating to these charges. Thereafter, Abu Hamza was charged with terrorism offenses by the U.K. authorities, which resulted in a conviction in the U.K. on Feb. 7, 2006. The extradition proceedings against Abu Hamza were stayed pending completion of the U.K. criminal proceedings. After Abu Hamza’s U.K. conviction was affirmed on appeal, the United States immediately renewed its efforts to extradite Abu Hamza to the United States to face the charges in the superseding indictment. The extradition proceedings against Abu Hamza are ongoing and the next court appearances in that matter are scheduled for Oct. 22, 23, and 29, 2007 in the U.K.
Aswat was arrested in Zambia in July 2005, and then deported to England, where he was arrested on the extradition request related to this case. The U.K. High Court has affirmed an extradition ordered entered against Aswat, and he has recently appealed his case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The attached chart identifies the counts in the superseding indictment with which Kassir is charged, and provides the corresponding statutory maximum terms of imprisonment.
Kassir, 41, is a Lebanese national, and also a citizen of Sweden. His last known residence was in Stockholm.
Kassir is expected to be arraigned today by Judge Keenan in Manhattan federal court at 4:15 p.m.
Mr. Wainstein and Mr. Garcia praised the New York Joint Terrorist Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the U.S. Embassy in Prague and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices in Prague; Copenhagen, Denmark; and London, for their assistance in this investigation. Mr. Wainstein and Mr. Garcia further expressed his appreciation to FBI Headquarters and the FBI field offices in Seattle; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Francisco, Calif., as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle and the Counterterrorism Section at the Department of Justice, for their assistance in the investigation of Kassir. Finally, Mr. Wainstein and Mr. Garcia also thanked the Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Interpol, the Department of Homeland Security, the Czech Ministry of Justice, the Police of the Czech Republic, and the Prison Service of the Czech Republic for their assistance during the arrest and extradition proceedings involving Kassir.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric B. Bruce and Michael Farbiarz, and Trial Attorney George Z. Toscas from the Counterterrorism Section at the Department of Justice, are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the complaint and superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
07-760
Not completely on topic, but interesting:
stepping back in time...
http://www.globalpolitician.com/21531-terror
“EXCLUSIVE: Cover Organizations for Terrorists In US and UK Exposed”
Andrew Green - 1/3/2006
#
http://www.pipelinenews.org/2006/Do-Followers-Of-Exiled-Radical-Cleric-Know-About-An-Impending.html
“Do Followers Of Exiled Radical Cleric Know About An Impending Attack In The UK?”
By Jeremy Reynalds
January 11, 2006
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “In fact, even as much of Europe began to take action against Islamists, at least at the intelligence level (West European political circles still prefer to blame themselves, the United States and Israel), London’s security forces ignored the terror threat. Former British spook Glen Jenvey was told in no uncertain terms that no action should be taken against radical Mosques and organizations. Multiple other sources claim that while the French intelligence pushed the UK to act, the British intelligence preferred to appease terror in hopes of winning favor from it. This, of course, is the opposite of what happened at the political level, where politicians in France refused to even discuss publicly the terror threat emanating from its immigrant population.
In recent weeks, the U.S. government has requested extradition of a British terror suspect Haroon Rashid Aswat, 31, and even reassured in writing the UK government that he would be tried at a U.S. federal court, not a military tribunal, and that he would not be designated an “enemy combatant,” and thus ineligible to be detailed in Guantanamo Bay.
Aswat is a follower of Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was caught by Glen Jenvey several years ago in an internet sting he set up. Prior to Jenvey’s operation, Aswat and Hamza conspired to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon. Aswat is also thought to be connected to the July 7, 2005 bombings in London. Both Aswat and Hamza are tied to al-Muhajiroun. Meanwhile, Omar Barki has been allowed to leave Britain, despite his involvement in the 7/7 bombings, which was reported in the Global Politician just hours after the attacks, as well as in other sources in later days.”
#
http://www.pipelinenews.org/2007/The-Inside-Story-Of-How-Abu-Hamza-Was-Arrested.html
“The Inside Story Of How Abu Hamza Was Arrested
How One Person Made A Difference In The War On Islamic Terror”
By Glen Jenvey, special to PipeLineNews.org
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025782.php
(DOW JONES NEWSWIRE, April 21, 2009)
April 22, 2009
“Trial begins for accused Oregon jihadist; lawyer claims defendent just has a “big mouth””
#
Previously...
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025671.php
“Swedish”? Nonsense...once a Lebanese Muslim - ALWAYS a Lebanese MUSLIM. When are people going to acknowlege that blood is thicker than water?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009127495_ujaama27m.html
Originally published April 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified April 27, 2009 at 12:27 AM
“Seattle militant to testify in high-stakes terror trial”
SNIPPET: “Felon James Ujaama is expected to be the star witness in a terrorism-related trial in U.S. District Court in New York. Ujaama will testify for the first time about a small group of militant Muslims in Seattle who went from commandeering a small mosque in the Central District to becoming entangled in an alleged international terrorism plot.”
By Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporter
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/27/Seattle-Muslim-to-testify-at-terror-trial/UPI-30721240862540/
“Seattle Muslim to testify at terror trial”
Published: April 27, 2009 at 4:02 PM
NEW YORK, April 27 (UPI) —
SNIPPET: “One-time Seattle hustler and Muslim convert James Ujaama, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to providing aid in the form of computers, cash and fighters to the Taliban government of Afghanistan, is expected to take the stand in New York this week in the terrorism trial of Lebanese-born Swede Oussama Kassir, The Seattle Times reported Monday.”
http://www.examiner.com/a-1983519~Seattle_militant_to_testify_in_NY_terror_trial.html
“Seattle militant to testify in NY terror trial”
Apr 27, 2009 9:21 AM (17 hrs ago) AP
SEATTLE (Map, News) -
SNIPPET: “Ujaama pleaded guilty in 2003 to conspiring to provide cash, computers and fighters to the Taliban. He served a two-year sentence and was arrested again in December 2006 in Belize, traveling in violation of his parole.”
http://www.bendweekly.com/index.php?news=17733
Apr 27,2009
“Seattle Muslim to testify at terror trial”
by UPI
NEW YORK —
SNIPPET: “Prosecutors say Kassir flew to Bly, Ore., on the orders of London radical Islamic preacher Abu Hamza Masri in 1999 to meet with Ujaama to set up a U.S. training camp for terrorists. But because Ujaama’s preparations didn’t meet their expectations, Kassir and Abu Hamza decided to behead him, prosecutors say.
The plan wasn’t carried out...”
QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2240888/posts
In conspiracy trial, dark tale emerges of jihad training
The Seattle Times ^ | April 29, 2009 | Mike Carter
Posted on April 29, 2009 5:47:05 PM PDT by forkinsocket
NEW YORK — Speaking publicly for the first time, former Seattle resident James Ujaama testified Tuesday about his efforts in 1999 to create a terrorist training camp in rural Oregon for would-be jihad warriors wishing to take up the fight against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.
Among the instructors would be Oussama Kassir, a Swedish jihadist who once bragged he had been a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden.
Ujaama, appearing thin and graying and dressed in oversized prison overalls, took the witness stand in the terrorism conspiracy trial of Kassir, who is accused of traveling from London to the barren ranch in Bly, Ore., to help set up the training camp.
Ujaama is a key prosecution witness in Kassir’s federal trial, having already pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. He told the U.S. District Court jury in Manhattan that he hopes to get a “significant reduction” in his sentence in exchange for his testimony against Kassir. He faces up to 30 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/29/Witness-Oregon-defendant-boasted-of-Osama/UPI-86971241028251/
“Witness: Oregon defendant boasted of Osama”
Published: April 29, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Order reprints | Feedback
NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) —
SNIPPET: “James Ujaama told a New York jury Tuesday that defendant Oussama Kassir had bragged about working for the al-Qaida leader while allegedly laying the groundwork for a jihadist camp in Bly, Ore., 10 years ago.
The alleged goal was to train fighters to battle the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.”
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20090503/NEWS/905039915/1029/NONE
Sunday, May 3, 2009
“Easy to forget about homegrown terrorism”
By Guy W. Farmer
For the Nevada Appeal
SNIPPET: “As mainstream media focus on so-called “overseas contingency operations,” it’s easy to overlook what’s going on in communities throughout our nation.
This issue came to my attention when I read a recent Seattle Times article about the upcoming New York federal court trial of an accused terrorist who’s charged with trying to establish a jihad (holy war) training camp in southern Oregon. It’s a fascinating story and a cautionary tale for the FBI and domestic law enforcement.
According to the Times, a Swedish jihadist named Oussama Kassir and Muslim convert James Ujaama (the former Jim Thompson, of Seattle), went to the small hamlet of Bly, Ore., 10 years ago to set up a terrorist training camp on U.S. territory.
They were allegedly following orders from Hamza al-Masri, a radical Islamic preacher and purported al-Qaida recruiter in London. Ujaama will be the key witness against Kassir when the latter goes to trial on 12 felony counts of offering material support to terrorists, conspiring to kill innocent civilians and providing information about chemical weapons to potential terrorists.
Apparently, Thompson/Ujaama converted to radical Islam after beginning a promising career as a community organizer and motivational speaker in Seattle in the 1990s. At one point, the Times noted, he “was honored by lawmakers in Washington and Nevada.” Kassir’s federal indictment asserts that Ujaama went to work for al-Masri at his London mosque, where he ran a virulently anti-American Web site called “Supporters of Shariah” (Islamic law).
FBI Director Robert Mueller believes that there may be as many as 100 al-Qaida sleeper cells in the United States, and that’s why Congress and the Feds should strike a reasonable balance between national security concerns and the alleged “rights” of accused terrorists. I hasten to add that Ujaama, a U.S. citizen, enjoys full constitutional rights.”
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2249839/posts
Man Convicted in New York of Trying to Start Al Qaeda Training Camp in Oregon
(AP) FOX NEWS.com ^ | Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | n/a
Posted on May 13, 2009 1:10:53 AM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET: “NEW YORK — A jury convicted a Lebanese-born Swede on Tuesday of plotting to help Al Qaeda recruit by trying to set up a weapons-training post in Oregon and distributing terrorist training manuals over the Internet.
The verdict against Oussama Kassir...”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
(Note: The chart at the bottom may not format correctly when pasted here.)
#
May 12, 2009
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/nyfo051209.htm
Swedish Citizen Oussama Kassir Found Guilty of Providing Material Support to al Qaeda
LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that OUSSAMA ABDULLAH KASSIR, a/k/a “Abu Abdullah,” a/k/a “Abu Khadija,” was found guilty today of charges relating to his participation in an effort to establish a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon, and his operation of several terrorist websites. KASSIR was found guilty of all eleven counts against him—including, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; providing material support to terrorists; conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda; providing material support to al Qaeda; conspiracy to kill or maim persons overseas; and distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction—following a four-week jury trial before United States District Judge JOHN F. KEENAN in Manhattan federal court.
According to the superseding Indictment and the evidence presented at trial:
KASSIR conspired with MUSTAFA KAMEL MUSTAFA, a/k/a “Abu Hamza” (hereafter “ABU HAMZA”), HAROON RASHID ASWAT, and others, to establish a jihad training camp on a parcel of property located in Bly, Oregon. As used by the conspirators in this case, the term “jihad” meant defending Islam against its enemies through violence and armed aggression, including, if necessary, through murder to expel non-believers from Muslim holy lands.
The Bly jihad training camp was established as a site where Muslims could receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in preparation to fight jihad in Afghanistan or to continue with additional jihad training in Afghanistan. In a letter faxed from one of the co-conspirators to ABU HAMZA, the property in Bly was described as located in a “pro-militia and fire-arms state” that “looks just like Afghanistan,” and the author stated that the group was “stock-piling weapons and ammunition.”
In late 1999, after transmission of this faxed letter, ABU HAMZA sent KASSIR and ASWAT from London, England, to Bly to assist in establishing the jihad training camp. On November 26, 1999, KASSIR and ASWAT arrived in New York and then traveled to Bly.
In Bly, KASSIR told witnesses that he supported USAMA BIN LADEN and al Qaeda, and that he had previously undertaken jihad training in Pakistan. A witness also saw KASSIR in possession of a compact disc that contained instructions on how to make bombs and poisons. After leaving Bly, KASSIR and ASWAT traveled back to Seattle, Washington, and resided in the Dar Us Salaam Mosque in Seattle for approximately two months. At the Mosque, KASSIR provided the men at the Mosque with jihad training lessons, including lessons on how to assemble and disassemble AK- 47’s and how to alter an AK-47 to launch a grenade.
KASSIR also established at least six different terrorist websites, which he operated from approximately December 2001 until the time of his arrest. The websites contained instructions about how to make bombs and poisons and featured such materials as “The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook” and “The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.”
The superseding Indictment also charges ABU HAMZA and HAROON RASHID ASWAT, both of whom are presently detained in England awaiting extradition to the United States. All three men were charged together in four counts with offenses relating to their efforts to establish the jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon. In addition, seven counts in the superseding Indictment charge ABU HAMZA with conspiracy and substantive offenses relating to a hostage-taking in Yemen, in 1998, and facilitating violent jihad in Afghanistan and supplying goods and services to the Taliban in 2000 and 2001.
ABU HAMZA was arrested in May 2004 by the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard in London, England, on a warrant relating to these charges. Thereafter, ABU HAMZA was charged with terrorism offenses by the U.K. authorities, which resulted in a conviction in the U.K. on February 7, 2006. The extradition proceedings against ABU HAMZA were stayed pending completion of the U.K. criminal proceedings. After ABU HAMZA’s U.K. conviction was affirmed on appeal, the United States renewed its efforts to extradite ABU HAMZA to the United States. The extradition proceedings against ABU HAMZA are currently pending in the European Court of Human Rights.
ASWAT was arrested in Zambia in July 2005, and then deported to England, where he was arrested on the extradition request related to this case. The extradition proceedings against ASWAT are also currently pending in the European Court of Human Rights.
As to ABU HAMZA and ASWAT, the charges and allegations contained in the superseding Indictment are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The attached chart identifies the counts in the superseding Indictment of which KASSIR was found guilty and provides the corresponding statutory maximum terms of imprisonment.
KASSIR, 43, is a Lebanese national, and also a citizen of Sweden. His last known residence was in Stockholm.
KASSIR’s sentencing was set by Judge KEENAN for September 2, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
Mr. DASSIN praised the New York Joint Terrorist Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the U.S. Embassy in Prague and the FBI’s Legal Attache Offices in Prague; Copenhagen; and London, for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. DASSIN further expressed his appreciation to FBI Headquarters and the FBI field offices in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Utah, and San Francisco, California, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office in Seattle and the Counterterrorism Section at the Department of Justice, for their assistance in the investigation of KASSIR. Finally, Mr. DASSIN also thanked the Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Interpol, the Department of Homeland Security, the Czech Ministry of Justice, the Police of the Czech Republic, and the Prison Service of the Czech Republic for their assistance during the arrest and extradition proceedings involving KASSIR.
Assistant United States Attorneys ERIC B. BRUCE and MICHAEL FARBIARZ are in charge of the prosecution.
I. The Bly, Oregon Jihad Training Camp Counts
Count Offense Maximum Statutory Penalty
Three Conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, in violation of Title18, United States Code, Section 371 5 years’ imprisonment
Four Providing material support and resources to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A 10 years’ imprisonment
Five Conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda, in violation of Title 18, United States Code,Section 2339B 10 years’ imprisonment
Six Providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda, inviolation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B 10 years’ imprisonment
Seven Conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons in a foreign country, in violation of Title18, United States Code, Section 956 Life imprisonment
II. The Terrorist Website Counts
Count Offense Maximum Statutory Penalty
Eight Conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, in violation of Title18, United States Code, Section2339A 15 years’ imprisonment
Nine Providing material support and resources to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A 15 years’ imprisonment
Ten Conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B 15 years’ imprisonment
Eleven Providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B 15 years’ imprisonment
Twelve Conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim, and injure persons in a foreign country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956 Life imprisonment
Thirteen Distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 842(p)(2)(A) 20 years’ imprisonment
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/05/nefa_foundation_oussama_kassir.php
“NEFA Foundation: Oussama Kassir Expert Report and Powerpoint”
By Evan Kohlmann
May 14, 2009 02:32 AM
#
http://www.nefafoundation.org/reports.html#kassir0509
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/nefakassirekexpertppt.pdf
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/nefakassirekexpert.pdf
http://www.nefafoundation.org/documents-legal-A_M.html#abuhamza
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/NEFA_Bly0609.pdf
#
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/06/nefa_foundation_target_america_2.php
“NEFA Foundation: “Target: America”: The Conspiracy to Establish a Terrorist Training Camp In Bly, Oregon”
By Madeleine Gruen
(June 17, 2009)
September 15, 2009
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/nyfo091509.htm
Al Qaeda Supporter and Organizer of Jihad Training Camp in Oregon Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Life in Prison
PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that OUSSAMA ABDULLAH KASSIR, a/k/a “Abu Abdullah,” a/k/a “Abu Khadija,” was sentenced today to life in prison for, among other things, providing material support to al Qaeda. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge JOHN F. KEENAN in Manhattan federal court. On May 12, 2009, following a four-week jury trial before Judge KEENAN, KASSIR was found guilty of charges relating to his participation in an effort to establish a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon, and his operation of several terrorist websites. KASSIR was found guilty of all eleven counts against him, including: conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; providing material support to terrorists; conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda; providing material support to al Qaeda; conspiracy to kill or maim persons overseas; and distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction.
According to the superseding Indictment filed in this case, the evidence presented at trial, and filings in the European Court of Human Rights:
KASSIR conspired with MUSTAFA KAMEL MUSTAFA, a/k/a “Abu Hamza” (hereafter “ABU HAMZA”), HAROON RASHID ASWAT, and others to establish a jihad training camp on a parcel of property located in Bly, Oregon, where Muslims could receive various types of training, including military-style jihad training, in preparation to fight jihad in Afghanistan or to continue with additional jihad training in Afghanistan. As used by the conspirators in this case, the term “jihad” meant defending Islam against its enemies through violence and armed aggression, including, if necessary, by using murder to expel non-believers from Muslim holy lands.
In a letter faxed from one of the co-conspirators to ABU HAMZA, the property in Bly is described as a place that “looks just like Afghanistan,” and the author stated that the group was “stock-piling weapons and ammunition.”
In late 1999, after transmission of this faxed letter, ABU HAMZA sent KASSIR and ASWAT from London, England, to Bly to assist in establishing the camp. On November 26, 1999, KASSIR and ASWAT arrived in New York and then traveled to Bly.
In Bly, KASSIR told witnesses that he supported USAMA BIN LADEN and al Qaeda, and that he had previously undertaken jihad training in Pakistan. A witness also saw KASSIR in possession of a compact disc that contained instructions on how to make bombs and poisons. After leaving Bly, KASSIR and ASWAT traveled back to Seattle, Washington, and resided in the Dar Us Salaam Mosque in Seattle for approximately two months, where KASSIR provided men with jihad training lessons — including how to assemble and disassemble AK-47s and how to alter an AK-47 to launch a grenade.
KASSIR also established at least six different terrorist websites, which he operated from approximately December 2001 until the time of his arrest in December 2005. The websites contained instructions about how to make bombs and poisons and featured such materials as “The Mujahideen Explosives Handbook” and “The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.”
KASSIR’s co-defendants ABU HAMZA and ASWAT are presently detained in England awaiting extradition to the United States. In addition to the charges against all three men, the Indictment charges ABU HAMZA with conspiracy and substantive offenses relating to a hostage-taking in Yemen in 1998, facilitating violent jihad in Afghanistan, and supplying goods and services to the Taliban in 2000 and 2001.
ABU HAMZA was arrested in May 2004 by the Metropolitan Police at New Scotland Yard in London, England, on a warrant relating to these charges. Thereafter, ABU HAMZA was charged with terrorism offenses by the U.K. authorities, which resulted in a conviction in the U.K. on February 7, 2006. The extradition proceedings against ABU HAMZA were stayed pending completion of the U.K. criminal proceedings. After ABU HAMZA’s U.K. conviction was affirmed on appeal, the United States renewed its efforts to extradite ABU HAMZA to the United States. The extradition proceedings against ABU HAMZA are currently pending in the European Court of Human Rights.
ASWAT was arrested in Zambia in July 2005, and then deported to England, where he was arrested on the extradition request related to this case. The extradition proceedings against ASWAT are also currently pending in the European Court of Human Rights.
KASSIR, 43, is a Lebanese national, and also a citizen of Sweden. His last known residence was in Stockholm. In sentencing KASSIR to life, Judge KEENAN stated that “the defendant is a clear threat to public safety.” United States Attorney BHARARA stated: “Oussama Kassir trained men to become terrorists on American soil. Today’s life sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who supports al Qaeda’s mission of violence and hate.”
Mr. BHARARA praised the New York Joint Terrorist Task Force, which includes agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (”FBI”) and detectives from the New York City Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to the U.S. Embassy in Prague and the FBI’s Legal Attache Offices in Prague; Copenhagen; and London, for their assistance in the investigation. Mr. BHARARA further expressed his appreciation to FBI Headquarters and the FBI field offices in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Utah, and San Francisco, California, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office in Seattle and the Counterterrorism Section at the Department of Justice, for their assistance in the investigation of KASSIR. Finally, Mr. BHARARA also thanked the Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Interpol, the Department of Homeland Security, the Czech Ministry of Justice, the Police of the Czech Republic, and the Prison Service of the Czech Republic for their assistance during the arrest and extradition proceedings involving KASSIR.
Assistant United States Attorneys ERIC B. BRUCE and MICHAEL FARBIARZ are in charge of the prosecution. The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Terrorism and National Security Unit.
As to ABU HAMZA and ASWAT, the charges and allegations contained in the superseding Indictment are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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.