Final members of 'Portland Seven' are sentenced

PORTLAND - Three Muslim men from Portland who tried, but failed, to enter Afghanistan as Taliban foot soldiers, voiced profound regret for their actions, as a federal judge sentenced them to prison Monday.

The Palestinian-born Maher "Mike" Hawash, 39, a former Intel software engineer received seven years in prison, while the Bilal brothers - Ahmed, 25, and Muhammad, 23 - were sentenced to 10 and eight years, respectively.

The sentencing caps a saga that began shortly after Sept. 11, when the three, inflamed by what they described as the unfair targeting of Afghanistan by U.S. forces, created a volunteer militia, known as Katibat Al-Mawt, or "The Squad of Death."

Along with three other Portland residents, they traveled to western China and tried to enter Afghanistan, but were turned away at the border.

The group became known as the "Portland Seven," after the FBI uncovered their actions and arrested them, along with one of their wives, in October 2002.

All three of those sentenced Monday were given reduced terms because of their cooperation with authorities - especially Hawash, who offered information which helped prosecutors tag 18-year sentences on two other members of the cell.

"I do not blame anybody else except myself," Hawash said in court. "It's something I have done that was completely out of my character."

Behind him, a row of his former Intel co-workers, many of whom had once stood on the steps of the federal courthouse proclaiming his innocence, wiped away tears.

Federal agents arrested Hawash last March and held him for five weeks as a material witness before filing charges against him, prompting a "Free Mike Hawash" campaign.

Neither of the Bilal brothers addressed the judge directly. Their lawyers described them as having "tried to make amends."

According to the government's sentencing memorandum, Hawash joined a martial arts class soon after Sept. 11 to train for "jihad," or holy war. In October, he bought camping supplies and transferred his home into his wife's name in preparation for joining the Taliban.

Meanwhile, in gravel pits in rural Washington, the Bilal brothers practiced firing Chinese assault rifles. They referred to Jews as "lampshades" and amused themselves by laughing at Holocaust movies, according to the document.

U.S. Circuit Court Judge Robert Jones described their actions as a "blemish" on their Muslim faith, but added that in Hawash's case, his actions seemed as a one-time aberration.

Previously a non-practicing Muslim, Hawash became deeply observant following his father's death in 2001, he said. At a local mosque, he came in contact with the fundamentalist leader of the Portland Seven, Habis Al Saoub, a former mujahedeen who fought against the Soviet army in Afghanistan.

Hawash said his turning point came on Sept. 11, when he thought Muslims had been wrongly scapegoated for the attack.

"I couldn't believe any Muslim could do this," he said, "but as I went on the trip, I had misgivings" about the group's intent.

Attorney Daniel Feiner, lawyer for Ahmed Bilal, said he and his brother had pored over descriptions of different penitentiaries and chose one on the East Coast, based on its educational offerings.

"You sure you want to go to New Jersey where it's cold and not the San Francisco Bay?" the judge asked.

"I just want to get an education," said Ahmed Bilal, in his only words to the court.

His brother sat silently in his prison jumpsuit, as his lawyer, Andrew Bates, said: "He is a good, peaceful, law-abiding young man."

Two other Portland men who were allied with the Bilal brothers and Hawash have already been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Patrice Lumumba Ford, 32, and Jeffrey Leon Battle, 33, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to levy war against the United States.

The lone woman in the group, October Lewis, Battle's former wife, was sentenced to three years in prison after she pleaded guilty to wiring money to the group.

The U.S. government has said the group's alleged ringleader, 37-year-old al Saoub, was killed in a shootout in Pakistan.

Wait a minute--I need to get some duct tape and wrap my head, so it doesn't explode...

Now criminals get to choose their prison based on the educational opportunities????

How about they get a great education in breaking big rocks into smaller rocks, rather than get a bachelor's degree on my dime?

I remember being very annoyed while in college; the average prisoner in the Oregon State Pen had a larger living space, paid for meals, TV, and school--while I had to work full time, school full time, didn't own a TV (not that I really mind that part), and made do with a $40/month food budget... kind of made you wish for criminal intent on occasion, just to get an easier way through school!

Glad they're going to see prison time--REALLY annoyed they're getting to choose where, like summer camp.

Regards

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