3 Jihadis in Toledo, Ohio guilty of plot against US troops in Iraq
comment by Jerry Gordon
For once a US court has reached an appropriate verdict for home grown Jihadis bent on fighting our troops in Iraq.
As this AP report reported:
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Mohammad Amawi, 28, Marwan El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27, face maximum sentences 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.
We had posted on the trial of the three Jihadis in Toledo, Ohio. What interested us then and still does now is that the three Muslim defendants in this federal trial received much of their training via terrorist websites on the internet in addition to some ‘practice’
How many times has our colleague Joe Shahda said that terrorist websites facilitated terrorist training rather than provide ‘actionable intelligence’. The record of the Toledo Jihadi trial is replete with references to use of the internet for the purpose of training these Jihadis.
So, yes, we are pleased that the defendants were convicted and that they might be sentenced to the maximum of life in prison. But, we are also pleased that the government has confirmed what we and Senator Lieberman have been saying-shut these terrorist websites down.
by Joe Milicia, AP, June 13, 2008
CLEVELAND - Three Ohio men were convicted Friday of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq, a case put together with help from a former soldier who posed as a radical bent on violence.
Mohammad Amawi, 28, Marwan El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27, face maximum sentences 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 federal jury in Toledo returned its verdict after three days of deliberations. U.S. District Judge James G. Carr did not set a sentencing date, said acting U.S. attorney Bill Edwards.
“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, in a written statement. “This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America’s heartland.”
Messages seeking comment from defense attorneys were not immediately returned. At trial they claimed that the three defendants, who all lived in the Toledo area, were manipulated by the government’s star witness, Darren Griffin.
The undercover FBI informant and former Army Special Forces soldier recorded the men for about two years beginning in 2004 while they talked about training in explosives, guns, and sniper tactics. They often met in their homes and at a tiny storefront mosque where they prayed together.
Defense attorneys noted that Griffin was involved in all conversations the prosecution presented to the jury, and that there was no evidence of telephone conversations or e-mails dealing with the alleged plot among only the defendants. (Continue Reading this Article)
June 13th, 2008 at 8:06 • opinion • news • Joseph Shahda • AP • US court convicts Toledo Jihadis • terrorist websites • 0 Comments •
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