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Posted on 06/02/2008 12:04:34 PM PDT by nwctwx
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"Idiots" are risking airline passengers' lives by shining laser lights at pilots coming into land at airports around the country. Figures released by the Civil Aviation Authority to The Dominion Post show a more than 300 percent increase in laser attacks in the past 18 months with Wellington airport the most dangerous in the country, aviation authorities have warned.
A 24-year-old man appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday with committing criminal nuisance by shining a green laser into the cockpit of a commercial aircraft knowing it would endanger life. He pleaded not guilty.
Laser beam dazzles pilot preparing to land at airport
THE pilot of an easyJet plane was "dazzled" by a laser beam just minutes before landing at Edinburgh airport. Police are investigating the bizarre incident amid claims the consequences could have been disastrous.
The pilot and his first officer are believed to have been dazzled for more than ten seconds after the bright green light was shone into the cockpit as the plane – which was carrying 42 people – was preparing to land.
A man has been arrested after the Staffordshire Police helicopter was targeted with a laser pen.
Police say the cabin was lit up with a green glow and the incident could have caused a crash.
GUILTY.
OPINION: Duly noted, not surprising and thank you MamaDearest.
OPINION: Yep, it seems to be job well done.
OPINION: It’s good to hear they’re arresting these jerks.
ADDING 1 press release to MamaDearest’s post no. 500:
#
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://cleveland.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2008/terroristacts061308.htm
For Release: June 13, 2008
U.S. Department of Justice
Three Convicted of Conspiring to Commit Terrorist Acts Against Americans Overseas
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A federal jury in the Northern District of Ohio has convicted three Ohio residents, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 28, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim I. Mazloum, 27, of conspiring to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas, including U.S. military personnel in Iraq, and other terrorism-related violations.
Today’s verdicts were announced by Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; William J. Edwards, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In February 2007, Amawi, El-Hindi, and Mazloum were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States, including U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Amawi and El-Hindi were also charged individually with distributing information regarding the manufacture or use of explosives, including suicide bomb vests and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Three additional counts in the superseding indictment were severed before trial and were not considered by this jury.
Today, the jury convicted the defendants on all counts. Amawi, a citizen of Jordan and the United States, and El Hindi, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Jordan, were each convicted of one count of conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States, one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and two counts of distributing information on explosives. Mazloum, a U.S. legal permanent resident from Lebanon, was convicted of one count of conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States and one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
At trial, the government proved that all three defendants engaged in a conspiracy, beginning sometime prior to June 2004, to kill or maim persons outside the United States, including U.S. armed forces personnel in Iraq. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants conducted firearms training and accessed and copied instructions in the construction and use of explosives – including IEDs and suicide bomb vests. In addition, the defendants conspired to recruit others to participate in jihad training; researched and solicited funding sources for such training; and proposed sites for training in firearms, explosives and hand-to-hand combat to prospective recruits.
The government also proved that all defendants conspired to provide material support and resources, including personnel, money, explosives and laptop computers, to terrorists, including a co-conspirator in the Middle East, who had requested such materials for use against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. For example, among other activities, Amawi communicated with a contact in the Middle East on chemical explosives and traveled to Jordan in August 2005 with laptop computers intended for delivery for mujahideen “brothers” whom he learned were preparing to cross into Iraq.
The government also proved that Amawi knowingly distributed to others a guide describing the step-by-step process for manufacturing chemical explosive compounds, as well as a video entitled, “Martyrdom Operation Vest Preparation,” which described the step-by-step construction and use of a suicide bomb vest. Amawi distributed these materials with the intent that they be used for training others to commit a crime of violence, including the killing of U.S. nationals overseas.
The government further proved that El-Hindi knowingly distributed a slide show demonstrating the preparation and use of IEDs against apparent U.S. military vehicles and personnel, as well as the video entitled “Martyrdom Operation Vest Preparation.” El-Hindi distributed these materials with the intent that they be used for training others to commit a crime of violence, including the killing of U.S. nationals overseas.
“Today’s verdicts should send a strong message to individuals who would use this country as a platform to plot attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere,” said Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America’s heartland.”
Acting United States Attorney William J. Edwards said: “These verdicts are testament to the hard work and dedication of all the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have spent years investigating this case and to the tireless efforts and perseverance of an extremely talented team of federal prosecutors who, with their law enforcement partners, keep this country safe from terrorists.”
“This case demonstrates the stark reality of home grown terrorism. If a plot like this can be developed in Toledo, OH, it can happen anywhere. With radical extremists in our midst, the FBI works day and night with our law enforcement and intelligence partners to pursue suspected terrorists and their supporters,” said C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division, FBI.
The maximum statutory penalties for the offenses on which the defendants were convicted include: life imprisonment for conspiracy to kill or maim persons outside the United States; 20 years imprisonment for distributing information regarding explosives (each count); and 15 years imprisonment for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.
Each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Toledo, Ohio, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; the U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Ohio Highway Patrol; the Toledo Police Department; and the Lucas and Wood County Sheriff’s Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Getz and Justin E. Herdman of the National Security Unit of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Cleveland, as well Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Austin, Texas, (formerly of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section) and Trial Attorneys Jerome J. Teresinski and David I. Miller of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Detroit also provided assistance in this case.
Fyi Only.
6.9 Earthquake in Japan.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2030862/posts
“BIG Earthquake in Japan Just Now! Predicted in Advance by Two Minutes (Live)”
Japanese news; direct experience ^ | 14 June 2008 | AmericanInTokyo
Posted on June 13, 2008 4:58:12 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Mohammed Zaki Amawi:
Suspected terrorists arrested in Ohio
Mohammad Zaki Amawi is also accused of twice threatening to kill or injure President Bush.
Citizenship: Born U.S.A. Place of Residence at Time of Arrest: Jordan
Marwan Othman El-Hindi:
Three Ohio men indicted on terrorism activity
El-Hindi is a naturalized American citizen who was born in Jordan.
Detainee served as imam at prison
A year before he is accused of plotting to attack American soldiers in Iraq, Marwan Othman El-Hindi offered spiritual nourishment to Muslim prisoners at the Toledo Correctional Institution as an "imam," or religious leader.
Wassim I. Mazloum:
Through the window of Wassim Mazloum's former business, City Auto Sales Inc., an open can of soda is left abandoned on an office desk. A cat peers through various windows; a few used cars remain on the lot.
Yet what appears seemingly harmless has been alleged to be a front to travel to and from Iraq for the UT student, one of many points in a detailed indictment of charges of terrorist plotting brought against Mazloum by the U.S. government.
Mr. Mazloum is from Lebanon but a legal resident of the United States.
It's even better to know these men who wanted US soldiers dead will be behind bars and our soldiers will be more safe.
Now, about those who want ME visa numbers increased......
Regarding your link for two men indicted in Florida on explosives charges, please note one of the Toledo defendants had a Boca Raton address at one time...... Florida seems to be a magnet state for some reason......
Thank you MamaDearest for adding those links.
Thanks to piasa for this additional information — ADDING to post no. 506:
QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2030774/posts?page=13#13
To: Dawnsblood; Cindy
The men — Mohammad Amawi, 28, Marwan El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27 — face a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors said the men were learning to shoot guns and make explosives while raising money to fund their plans to wage a holy war against U.S. troops.
The FBI initially heard about El-Hindi in 00 , while investigating a group of men suspected of promoting fundamentalist Islam in Iraq. The FBI videotaped a meeting in Washington, D.C. in 2002 attended by Rafil Dhafir, a doctor from New York, and two others in which Dhafir mentioned El-Hindi as “one of the brothers from Toledo” who was adept at coming up with money-making schemes. 6 El-Hindi was involved in numerous business endeavors supported by Dhafir over the years. Dhafir was arrested in 00 and charged with funneling proceeds from an Islamic charity, called Help the Needy, to Iraq in violation of U.S. sanctions. He received a 22-year sentence. It remains unclear how Dhafir and El-Hindi originally met. -————Preventing Jihad in Toledo June 22, 2006 http://www.preventivestrategies.net/public/library_file_proxy.cfm?lid=37.
13 posted on June 13, 2008 8:58:32 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: Cindy
MORE RELATED STUFF:
* Dr. Rafil Dhafir : (Iraqi-born USA citizen) 55, a founder of Help the Needy, was a respected Iraqi-born oncologist practicing in upstate Rome [NY] and has been a member of the medical staff at Rome Memorial Hospital since 1982. The four (Dhafir, al Wahaidy, Jarwan & Zagha) were accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iraq by transferring cash to unidentified people in Baghdad without a license. Dhafir and Zagha also were charged with 13 counts of money laundering, as were Help the Needy and a related charity, Help the Needy Endowment. Dhafir, Al Wahaidy and Jarwan pleaded innocent. ...
Dhafir, Al Wahaidy and Jarwan pleaded innocent. ...”Is this guilt by association? Far too many people from the Mideast have been placed under suspicion,” said Edward Menkin, lawyer for Dhafir. A tentative April 27 trial date was set.- “Upstate charity tied to illegal Iraqi cash: Feds say N.Y. group laundered millions,” by DOUGLAS FEIDEN, New York Daily News, April 6, 2003
* Bassem Khafagi : Also, [Bassem] Khafagi was co-owner of a Sir Speedy printing franchise until 1998 with Rafil Dhafir, who was a former vice president of IANA and a Syracuse-area oncologist convicted in February 2005 of illegally sending money to Iraq during the Saddam Hussein regime as well as defrauding donors by using contributions to his “Help the Needy” charitable fund to avoid taxes and to purchase personal assets for himself. Dhafir was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison.[40] -———— “CAIR: Islamists Fooling the Establishment ,” by Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha, MEF News, SPRING 2006
14 posted on June 13, 2008 9:03:58 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: Cindy; Dog
AND MORE RELATED STUFF:
JUNE 2002 : (UK : LONDON : DR RAFIL DHAFIR IS INTRODUCED — SEE IRAQ) One of the men charged in New York, oncologist Rafil Dhafir, 55, was identified last year as vice president and a board member for IANA. At a London conference last June, Dhafir also was introduced as founder and president of Help the Needy and a graduate of the University of Baghdad School of Medicine. -———— “Suspects linked to bin Laden, Iraq: Arrests of Arabs in Idaho, New York target terror financing ,” By Art Moore, WorldNetDaily.com, Friday, February 28, 2003
JANUARY 2003 : (KENNEDY AIRPORT IN NYC, NY : DR RAFIL DHAFIR’S OVERNIGHT ENVELOPE TO ZAGHA TRADING EST. IN JORDAN IS INTERCEPTED——— See HELP THE NEEDY) In January 2003, investigators intercepted an overnight envelope at Kennedy International Airport in New York City that Dr. Dhafir addressed to Zagha Trading Establishment in Amman, Jordan. The packet was forwarded to postal inspectors in Syracuse for inspection. Pursuant to a search warrant, agents found a sealed business envelope containing a $200,000 Oneida Savings Bank cashier’s check payable to “M. Zagha Trading Est.”. Officials suspect $2.73 million in bank checks bought with Help the Needy money reached Zagha this way. Maher Zagha, 34, went to college in Central New York and was living in Amman, Jordan.————— “Iraqi “Help The Needy” Dr. Seeks Bail for Fourth Time,” Posted by Ross on Tuesday January 27, 2004 at 9:11 am MST via PHXNews.com, http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=8947 Link to story: http://www.anthraxandalqaeda.com
15 posted on June 13, 2008 9:06:17 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: Cindy; Dog; ZacandPook
Both Dr. Rafil Dhafir [associate of Toledo’s el Hindy] and another IANA official, an Iraqi-American by the name of Ali Al-Timimi [of PAINTBALL JIHAD FAME & well known on our anthrax threads] have visited China at least once. They arrived in late August of 1995 for a UN conference on women’s health issues... but the conference wasn’t until September 5 - 15.
16 posted on June 13, 2008 9:17:30 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
And more info:
APRIL 21, 2001 : (BOCA RATON, FL : FLORIDA ATLANTIC U : MSO 2nd ANNUAL SCHOLARS’ NIGHT : MSO BRINGS RAFIL DHAFIR OF AN IRAQI CHILDREN’S CHARITY CALLED “HELP THE NEEDY” TO SPEAK - See DAVID JOHNSON) While Hamza was with the MSO, the student group brought a couple of key radicals to speak at the university. On April 21, 2001, the MSO’s second annual Scholars’ Night featured Rafil Dhafir, a man that now sits behind bars for raising millions of dollars for terrorist organizations in the guise of an Iraqi children’s charity called ‘Help the Needy.’ Dhafir has also given lectures on why Muslims must not befriend Jews or Christians and how The United States and England have had a “vicious” war on Iraq. The contact for this event was MSO president, David Johnson, who now holds a position in the FAU student government. [On November 16, 2002, the ICBR also hosted Rafil Dhafir, in a fundraiser for the new mosque.]-——— “Boca Raton, City of Terror,” By Joe Kaufman, FrontPageMagazine.com, May 22, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=7982
NOVEMBER 2002 : (BOCA RATON, FL : DR DHAFIR APPEARS AT FUNDRAISER [FOR NEW MOSQUE]— ) After Dr. Dhafir’s arrest, the Boca Raton News published a story focusing on the appearance of Dr. Rafil Dhafir at a November 2002 fund-raising event sponsored by the islamic center in Boca Raton.-—
Iraqi “Help The Needy” Dr. Seeks Bail for Fourth Time Posted by Ross on Tuesday January 27, 2004 at 9:11 am MST via PHXNews.com, http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=8947 Link to story: http://www.anthraxandalqaeda.com
Thank you Piasa for the additional post.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20376&Itemid=128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080613-08
June 13, 2008
Iraqi Special Operations Forces capture mid-level Special Groups criminal cell leader
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured an alleged mid-level Special Groups criminal cell leader in Baghdad, June 12.
The ISOF conducted an operation to capture the reported leader of 250 criminal members suspected of improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces. They are also accused of kidnapping and killing 19 Iraqi citizens, including three individuals who worked on a U.S. base.
During the operation, ISOF also found and detained a man wanted on a Ministry of Justice warrant.
“The detention of this cell leader will likely affect the ability of Special Groups criminals in Baghdad to conduct attacks against the local citizens and Iraqi and Coalition forces,” said Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a spokesman for Multi-National Corps – Iraq.
-30-
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20377&Itemid=128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080613-09
June 13, 2008
Salah ad-Din province Emergency Services Unit captures AQI leader
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BALAD, Iraq – A Salah ad-Din province Emergency Services Unit captured a suspected leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq in Bayji, approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Tikrit, June 12.
The ESU conducted an operation to capture the leader who reportedly provides monetary support to AQI activities through criminal activities. One additional suspect was detained in the operation.
“The ISF’s capture of this terrorist will disrupt AQI operations in the Salah ad-Din province and further degrade AQI’s ability to inflict indiscriminate violence on the people of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a spokesman for Multi-National Corps – Iraq.
-30-
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20383&Itemid=128
Press Release A080614a-066
June 14, 2008
Coalition forces capture two suspected Special Groups criminals in al-Kut
BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured two suspected Special Groups criminals in al-Kut during operations Saturday morning.
Acting on intelligence information, Coalition forces conducted a raid on the residence of a suspected Special Groups criminal in al-Kut. He is a known associate of senior Special Groups leadership in the area. According to the suspect’s family members on scene, he is heavily involved in Special Groups criminal activity including several attacks against Coalition forces.
The suspect and one of his associates were detained without incident.
“Coalition forces are removing the Special Groups threat from Iraq and concerned citizens are playing a big part in that effort,” said Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, MNF-I spokesperson.
- 30 -
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
#
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08060079.htm
Friday, June 13, 2008
“Mother and Daughter Gang-Raped by Muslims in Bangladesh; Daughter Dies”
By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
WASHINGTON D.C.
http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/687
“U.N. Rapporteur Turns to Usual Suspects on ‘Islamophobia’”
by IPT
IPT News
June 13, 2008
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Any hate crime is a pox on our nation. But as we reported last fall, the data fails to support the notion that Muslims are being targeted disproportionately. The most recent FBI report, covering 2006, documented 2,640 hate crimes against African-Americans, 1,195 hate crime incidents based on sexual orientation, 967 incidents targeting Jews and 576 anti-Hispanic hate crime incidents. The report cites 156 anti-Muslim hate crime incidents.”
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