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U.S. Arrests 6 on Terror Charges (Including a former U.S. soldier)
AP ^ | Fri Oct 4, 1:21 PM ET | TED BRIDIS

Posted on 10/04/2002 10:36:21 AM PDT by Destro

U.S. Arrests 6 on Terror Charges

Fri Oct 4, 1:21 PM ET

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities arrested six men Friday in Oregon and Michigan on charges they conspired to wage war on the United States and provide support to al-Qaida.

Attorney General John Ashcroft ( news - web sites), announcing the arrests at a Justice Department ( news - web sites) news conference, called it a "defining day" in the fight against terrorism.

Ashcroft noted the sentencing in federal court Friday of John Walker Lindh and the guilty plea in Boston from accused shoe-bomber Richard Reid.

One of the six men arrested Friday had U.S. military training, the attorney general said.

Court records unsealed Friday said the six men traveled to Afghanistan ( news - web sites) for training.

The arrests, Ashcroft said, represent "a texbook example" of cooperation among federal, state and local authorities in the war against terrorism.

Court papers identified the six men as Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Habis Abdullah al Saoub and October Martinique Lewis. Battle was a former U.S. soldier, Ashcroft said.

All the men were in federal custody.

FBI ( news - web sites) Director Robert Mueller told reporters that "those who support terrorism or acts of terrorism will be brought to justice."

Ashcroft said some of the men began traveling to Afghanistan in October 2001 to fight with Taliban troops against U.S. forces.

A federal grand jury indicted the men on charges of conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaida, conspiracy to contribute services to al Qaida and the Taliban and possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.

The indictment said the men engaged in weapons training in Washougal, Wash., starting in late September 2001, to prepare to fight with Taliban forces. Some of the men sent money to others overseas to support their efforts, the court documents charged.

Battle obtained an administrative discharge from the U.S. Army Reserve in January 2002. The indictment said Battle had enlisted to receive training in U.S. tactics and weapons, which Battle ultimately intended to use against American soldiers.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alsaoub; balkans; battle; bilal; ford; lewis; portlandgroup; terrorisim
The Northwest cells tie in with this report: Bush shuts down terrorist financial support network in U.S. that Clinton knew existed and ignored
1 posted on 10/04/2002 10:36:21 AM PDT by Destro
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2 posted on 10/04/2002 10:36:58 AM PDT by Mo1
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To: Destro
Jim McDermott constituents no doubt.
3 posted on 10/04/2002 10:37:42 AM PDT by jwalsh07
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To: Destro
live fbi press conference on now on foxnews
4 posted on 10/04/2002 10:39:15 AM PDT by glock rocks
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To: Destro
Battle obtained an administrative discharge from the U.S. Army Reserve in January 2002. The indictment said Battle had enlisted to receive training in U.S. tactics and weapons, which Battle ultimately intended to use against American soldiers.

How many more of those turn-coats are there? This is a new low.

5 posted on 10/04/2002 10:39:28 AM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: Destro
And we still allow muslim chaplins in prisons and the military....
Hey arrest all you want....we'll make more
6 posted on 10/04/2002 10:39:37 AM PDT by joesnuffy
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To: *balkans
What is the ping for the Chechen posts?
7 posted on 10/04/2002 10:39:59 AM PDT by Destro
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To: Destro
October Martinique Lewis

Did they call the investigation, the hunt for red October? :-)

Seriously, just watched John Ashcroft on Fox...hopefully they will locate the two at large overseas shortly.

8 posted on 10/04/2002 10:40:20 AM PDT by Happygal
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To: jwalsh07
Nah, McTraitor's latte-sipping constituents have never held a gun in their lives.
9 posted on 10/04/2002 10:41:08 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: texasbluebell
Hmmmm. Marines found their parachute cords cut recently, here in Atlanta several merchants investigated were muslims with previous military training. Wasn't there also a terrorist captured or convicted in Maryland that was a previous member of the 82nd?
10 posted on 10/04/2002 10:42:45 AM PDT by doodad
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To: jwalsh07
The more interesting thing about this is the names: as Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Habis Abdullah al Saoub and October Martinique Lewis.

Judging from the names, at least some of these guys are black, American-born Muslims. One wonders when the Farrakhan connection will be made.

11 posted on 10/04/2002 10:47:39 AM PDT by r9etb
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To: Destro
Just my opinion, but anyone in America named "Patrice Lumumba" should be arrested or deported.
12 posted on 10/04/2002 10:47:49 AM PDT by Jonathan
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To: Destro
Court papers identified the six men as Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Habis Abdullah al Saoub and October Martinique Lewis. Battle was a former U.S. soldier, Ashcroft said.

Sounds like 6 white males.....

13 posted on 10/04/2002 10:47:53 AM PDT by Always Right
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: Destro
I am curious whether these six men are Arab, black, or some combination. Naturally the AP doesn't say.

But there are times when such matters are entirely relevant. Describing a wanted man, for example. Or identifying where to look for a terrorist threat. If you withhold relevant details you are just giving people a chance to fantasize and make up their own stories. Telling the truth is better than permitting rumors to circulate.
15 posted on 10/04/2002 10:48:56 AM PDT by Cicero
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To: Cicero
bttt
16 posted on 10/04/2002 10:53:27 AM PDT by crazykatz
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To: Destro
Authorities arrested six men Friday in Oregon and Michigan on charges they conspired to wage war on the United States and provide support to al-Qaida.

Would have been better had the men had ties to Washington and Michigan instead of Oregon and Michigan. The correlation between Bnnoir and McDermott would have been just too much.

17 posted on 10/04/2002 10:53:44 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: r9etb
Maybe soon.
18 posted on 10/04/2002 10:58:02 AM PDT by sheik yerbouty
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To: Cicero
Telling the truth is better than permitting rumors to circulate.

B-b-b-but that's HATE SPEECH!!!

19 posted on 10/04/2002 11:00:48 AM PDT by martin gibson
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To: Destro
So how many of these guys/1 gal are registered Dems, do you suppose..?
20 posted on 10/04/2002 11:02:48 AM PDT by mewzilla
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To: Cicero
They just showed photos on FNC. October Lewis appears to be a woman, and 2 of the 3 that I saw were black. One guy appears to be light skinned black, mixed race or possibly Arab?
21 posted on 10/04/2002 11:04:45 AM PDT by Skywalk
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To: Cicero; Constitution Day
I am curious whether these six men are Arab, black, or some combination. Naturally the AP doesn't say.

Here's a clue for you. The names are Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Habis Abdullah al Saoub and October Martinique Lewis.

If you know anything about the history of Islam (and everything I know about it I learned from watching the movie "The Message", which isn't a half-bad movie) then you will know that Bilal was the first "muezzin", the guy who does the call to prayer. Bilal was a slave from Ethiopia, and is honored as the first black Muslim. Read what the Muslims have to say about him HERE.

Constitution Day may be able to confirm this, but in the Rocky Mount area, there are a lot of black people with the surname Battle. I'm taking a wild stab in the dark here, but I wouldn't be surprised if this guy Battle, who was in the military, is from North Carolina.

22 posted on 10/04/2002 11:09:50 AM PDT by wimpycat
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To: Jonathan
The left/democrats/socialists were big Lumumba supporters.
23 posted on 10/04/2002 11:16:59 AM PDT by cynicom
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To: mewzilla
They're all men, I believe, including Patrice.
24 posted on 10/04/2002 11:17:11 AM PDT by dead
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To: Always Right
Would have been better had the men had ties to Washington and Michigan instead of Oregon and Michigan.

Their initial training took place in Washougal WASHINGTON. And one of these worthies was arrested in Detroit.

So there you go.

25 posted on 10/04/2002 11:35:06 AM PDT by r9etb
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To: wimpycat
Constitution Day may be able to confirm this, but in the Rocky Mount area, there are a lot of black people with the surname Battle.
I'm taking a wild stab in the dark here, but I wouldn't be surprised if this guy Battle, who was in the military, is from North Carolina.

You're exactly right!
There are a lot of 'em, some I even went to school with.

I think that Rocky Mount Mills was once called "Battle's Mill" and that the Battle family was owned a lot of slaves here.
There was also a town near Rocky Mount, since annexed into the city, named Battleboro.

26 posted on 10/04/2002 11:38:06 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: Destro
Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford

Why do I suspect these two are not Moose Limbs, but are instead Communists?

27 posted on 10/04/2002 11:39:30 AM PDT by Poohbah
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To: mr.cathey
That guy Ujaama from Seattle who is now in jail for his association with al Qaeda started out as a black nationalist. An associate of his also now in custody was a naval reservist who drilled at the Tacoma Reserve Center.
28 posted on 10/04/2002 11:40:23 AM PDT by aristeides
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To: dead
One's a woman, October Martinique Lewis. She's the ex-wife of Battle & wired them money from the US to whereever they were (I heard two countries, China and Bangladesh), according to what I heard during the press conference.
29 posted on 10/04/2002 11:48:41 AM PDT by Catspaw
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To: aristeides
Interesting how easily the West-destroyers slide from one allegiance to another, reminiscent of membership in the Communist and National Socialist/Fascist Parties changing quite easily.
30 posted on 10/04/2002 11:49:39 AM PDT by Skywalk
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To: dead
No. October Lewis is wearing the headdress of a Muslim woman.

3 of the men appear to be MidEasterners, while 3(1 of them Lewis) appear to be black.
31 posted on 10/04/2002 11:50:18 AM PDT by Skywalk
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Comment #32 Removed by Moderator

To: Catspaw
Thanks for the clarification. The article called them all men. I'd imagine the women aren't exactly paragons of femininity anyway.
33 posted on 10/04/2002 11:52:44 AM PDT by dead
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To: Destro
US News and World Report-" Patrice Lumumba, Congo's charismatic first prime minister, who was also feared to be a rabid Communist."

The Belgians busted a cap on this piece of dirt, in a covert op, in the 60's, although the CIA was blamed for years. Nice namesake. I'm waiting for the next terrorist arrested to be named Mohamed Adolph Hitler or Ahmad Ali Bill Clinton.
34 posted on 10/04/2002 11:54:27 AM PDT by Wild Irish Rogue
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To: Destro
Authorities arrested six men Friday in Oregon and Michigan on charges they conspired to wage war on the United States and provide support to al-Qaida.
Legal definition of Treason:
A breach of allegiance to one's government, usually committed through levying war against such government or by giving aid or comfort to the enemy. The offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance; or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power. Treason consists of two elements: adherence to the enemy, and rendering him aid and comfort. Cramer v. U. S., U.S.N.Y., 325 U.S. l, 65 S.Ct. 918, 9327 89 L.Ed. 1441. See 18 U.S.C.A. 2381.

A person can be convicted of treason only on the testimony of two witnesses, or confession in open court. Art. III, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution.

35 posted on 10/04/2002 11:56:05 AM PDT by antidisestablishment
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To: Cicero
I have screen shots from FOXNews if anyone wants to post them
36 posted on 10/04/2002 12:01:37 PM PDT by two23
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To: Destro
I'm in the process of "Googling" some of these names and found this, which was posted by someone complaining of an abusive email from a "Patrice Ford." I'm presuming that the subject line of the newsgroup posting is the same as the subject line of the email this person got from a "Patrice Ford."
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22Patrice+Ford%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=pk73sdvuxjh7bnt7u3cnp6hyeukxuiy%404ax.com&rnum=1

37 posted on 10/04/2002 12:08:41 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
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To: hispanarepublicana
Gee...

Nothing cryptic about that little epistle...

Interesting find

38 posted on 10/04/2002 12:15:48 PM PDT by wildehunt
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To: Destro
Here's what I found on an "Ahmed Bilal" in alt.religion.islam at Google Groups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22Ahmed+Bilal%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=3ihero%24b35%40arc.electriciti.com&rnum=4

39 posted on 10/04/2002 12:16:13 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
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To: hispanarepublicana
Here are pics of the three arrested in Portland, Ore.


40 posted on 10/04/2002 12:35:00 PM PDT by Siegfried
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To: wildehunt
I tried to do a "Google" for Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, but "muhammad bilal" plus varying last names were hits for everything from coin collecting enthusiasts to software engineers to aspiring nuclear engineers (yes, that one made the hair on the back of my neck stand up too). I'm not gonna post all that here, because it's not terribly accurate since "bilal" was the middle name on those hits.
41 posted on 10/04/2002 12:43:41 PM PDT by hispanarepublicana
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To: doodad
Hmmmm. Marines found their parachute cords cut recently, here in Atlanta several merchants investigated were muslims with previous military training.

Hmmmm, you're onto something...

42 posted on 10/04/2002 2:39:03 PM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: aristeides; Cicero
Black Muslims believed that Muhammed X was a prophet, and therefore were shunned by regular Muslims, who believed that (the original) Mohammed was the "last prophet."

What has happened is that an increasing number of Black Muslims - see Al Fuqra - have dropped the insistence on Muhammed X as a prophet and have been accepted by mainstream Islam. Well, by fundamentalist radical Islam, at least...
43 posted on 10/04/2002 2:56:06 PM PDT by livius
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To: livius
Ooops, I should have said they believed Elijah Muhammed (their founder) was a prophet.
44 posted on 10/04/2002 5:21:30 PM PDT by livius
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