Alleged terror plot 'trainer' worked for FBI [Archive]

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NousDefionsDoc

03-03-2006, 21:54

LINK (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=investigative&id=3953150)

Alleged terror plot 'trainer' worked for FBI
WLS By Chuck Goudie

March 1, 2006 - There is a new twist in the Chicago connection to an al Qaeda terror plot. The scheme to attack American soldiers overseas involved a former member of the US military who was secretly working for the FBI.

Investigators close to this case say that the insider who helped federal agents crack the terror ring was a highly trained former member of the US Army's Special Forces. He is in protective custody and is expected to be the key witness in the case. In the indictment he is referred to only as the trainer, because he was hired to train insurgents on how to kill US soldiers. The trainer was recruited just after 9/11, authorities say, by the owner of a Chicago travel agency who is now charged as a terrorist.

Fresh from American Special Forces, the trainer was recruited in early 2002 by accused terrorist Marwan el-Hindi who lived in southwest suburban Hickory Hills. We have learned the trainer's name is Darren, but he was known in Muslim circles as "Bilal" and was hired to provide security and bodyguard training according to the indictment.

In 2004, the FBI says Bilal was assigned by el-Hindi to help train for a holy war against US military in Iraq. In 2005, with firearms and bomb training, lessons in how to smuggle weapons through airports and a plan to show Chicago terrorist trainees a video of how to build suicide bombs.

Through all of the meetings in Toledo with Marwan el-Hindi -- even in el-Hindi's own home -- after each shooting drill on this Toledo gun range, federal authorities say "the trainer" was providing the government with a running account of terrorist plans, plots and movements.

A year ago, authorities say the trainer was given a new supervisor, suspect Mohammad Amawi, who plotted to order chemical weapons. Last summer, the two men traveled to Jordan to deliver computers to insurgents. The computers held plans for a series of roadside bombings of US military convoys. It is unclear whether any of the attacks took place, or whether last week's indictment of three accused terrorists in Ohio short-circuited the entire plan.

What is certain: the trainer, Darren "Bilal" is not charged and he is not expected to be charged, having gone to authorities when he realized the plot involved attacks on soldiers he used to serve with.

The trainer has been moved out of his Toledo apartment and celebrated his 40th birthday Wednesday in federal witness protection. No one answers his home phone and his voicemail is full. We have learned his last name, but have chosen not to use it, as authorities believe that his family could be in danger because he turned on terrorists.

Bill Harsey

03-03-2006, 22:07

wow.

CPTAUSRET

03-04-2006, 06:30

It will be interesting to see where this ends up.

Terry

Kyobanim

03-04-2006, 07:42

wow.
Amen to that

504PIR

03-04-2006, 08:43

Wow. If thats true I would like to buy than man a beer and shake his hand.

Jack Moroney (RIP)

03-04-2006, 11:05

Wow. If thats true I would like to buy than man a beer and shake his hand.

I think you might blow his cover if he is still professing to be a Muslim:D

hoepoe

03-04-2006, 12:40

Very interesting article, thanks for posting NDD.

Hoepoe

Warrior-Mentor

03-05-2006, 15:43

Key is getting something in writing from the FBI to prove you contacted them and are working to pass the info.
Dangerous game if you mess it up.
Best if you're school trained and not just some Walter Mitty...

JM

tk27

03-06-2006, 18:13

Insider in local terror arrests ID’d
Toledo Blade, Thursday, March 2, 2006 (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/NEWS03/60302003)

NousDefionsDoc

03-06-2006, 18:38

Mmmm. Interesting. The press sucks.

Bravo1-3

03-06-2006, 19:37

“We are 100 percent sure now that Darren Griffin is ‘The Trainer,’” Jihad Smaili, a Cleveland attorney and member of KindHearts’ board of directors, said yesterday.

Looks like he was outed internally. However, shame on the paper for repeating his name in the open.

The Reaper

03-06-2006, 19:40

Nice of the organization he worked for to rat him out.

Hope that they have a good witness protection program for him.

He may be safer deployed.

Doc, is he near you in Ohio?

TR

Warrior-Mentor

03-12-2006, 14:57

The press feeds off this...
and they'll feed off the story that evolves if he gets wacked.

How long before they learn professional responsibility?
Not til this happens, they get prosecuted for reckless endangerment and/or lose their shorts in a subsequent civil suit?

AL/RL care to expand?

Roguish Lawyer

03-12-2006, 15:42

Jack Moroney (RIP)

03-12-2006, 15:58

The First Amendment protects what they're doing.
I know you are right, but I think that it only protects your right to free speech and does not guarantee you any right to be heard. The problem with the media is that they occupy airways and printed space that alows them to get its msg across even if you do not care to hear/read it. I think if I walked into some media mogul's office and demanded to be heard I would be, after an appropriate struggle of course:D , thrown out on my ass. If I submit a letter to an editor he/she (got to keep FS off my 4th POC) has the "editorial perrogative" either not to print it or edit it. In my simple way of looking at things, the playing field is not at all level which really ticks me off seeing as anyone who has worn this country's uniform has guaranteed these treasonous bastards the right to put our compatriots in harms way. Just my opinion.

tk27

04-26-2006, 07:43

Feds suspected plot by Toledo trio in ’04, Toledo Blade. April 18, 2006 (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060418/NEWS03/60418024/-1/NEWS)

Federal Indictment of Amawi, El Hindi and Mazloum in PDF format (http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/indictment_22006.pdf)

Team Sergeant

04-26-2006, 08:01

The trainer has been moved out of his Toledo apartment and celebrated his 40th birthday Wednesday in federal witness protection. No one answers his home phone and his voicemail is full. We have learned his last name, but have chosen not to use it, as authorities believe that his family could be in danger because he turned on terrorists.

I missed this thread..... let me get this straight, Special Forces soldiers have been giving terrorists dirt naps for some years. One SF'er puts a couple of them behind bars and he enters the "federal witness protection" program?????

They're kidding right? Just give the guy a "federal" carry concealed permit and call it a day. Save the federal witness protection program for those that need it......

Now I've heard everything...... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

TS

incommin

04-26-2006, 08:32

The "press" helped screw up the chances of success in Vietnam....now they are hampering the present war on terror. Too much of the press is left and anti war....... or care more about selling news than protecting military members. The real problem though is those in government who leak info to push or support their own personal political views.
My 0.02.

incommin

04-26-2006, 09:03

Jack Moroney (RIP)

04-26-2006, 11:12

I just listened to an Army officer state on NPR that disclosing classified info was alright because the need to protect the Constitution is rated higher than an oath to not leak classified info..... not the exact words.... but that was his point. He didn't say what rank he held....

Just the fact that he was willing to be on NPR tells me all I need to know about him. Good lesson for all that holding a commission and intelligence have nothing in common. Interesting, but as I recall his oath does not state anything about protecting the Constitution but rather to support and defend his country's Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, to bear true faith and allegiance, and to discharge well and faithfully theduties of office. So how does this peckerwood feel about protecting the lives of the service folk that he is willing to put in jeopardy to satisfy his own failings?

incommin

04-27-2006, 05:33

Not very much, I fear. There are many people in washington who leak info to support their own politicial views.....it seems that most of them use the Constitution as their reason.

tk27

05-11-2006, 09:51

Court urged to bar release of photos of terror-case source, By MARK REITER. Toledo Blade, May 2, 2006. (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/NEWS02/605020417/-1/NEWS)

Terror case informant has had money woes : Toledoan declared bankruptcy in 1999
Friday, April 28, 2006
Christopher Evans, Mark Rollenhagen and Mike Tobin
The Plain Dealer (http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/114621313523960.xml&coll=2)

The paid informant at the center of the biggest terror case in Ohio has a history of financial problems that defense lawyers contend may have motivated his undercover work.

Darren L. Griffin, known as Bilal to Toledo Muslims and dubbed "The Trainer" by federal prosecutors, declared bankruptcy in Kentucky in 1999, and his tax refunds were garnisheed in Lucas County that same year to pay child support, court records show.

Griffin, 40, has three children by three different women.
The children were born in Toledo.

He provided information that led to the February arrest of three Toledo men accused of plotting to wage violent jihad, or holy war, against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.

Defense lawyers contend Griffin was motivated by money and not patriotism. Stephen Hartman, who represents Marwan El-Hindi, calls Griffin "the instigator."

"He's like the fireman who starts the fire so he can be the hero when he puts it out," Hartman said.

Leaders of Toledo's Muslim community have given qualified praise for Griffin.

"If these people were planning to harm this country, I am proud of him," said Ziad Hummos, who was president of Masjid Saad when Griffin and the three suspects prayed at the mosque.

Federal authorities won't confirm that Griffin is The Trainer. They also won't reveal how much the informant was paid during the four years he cooperated with the FBI. "We'll reserve our comment for the courtroom," said U.S. Attorney Greg White.
The circumstances of when and why Griffin went to work for the FBI are not clear, but some details about his background have emerged in recent weeks.

He was born in Lima, Ohio, and attended Woodward High School in Toledo, where he was a member of the Afro-American Club, played basketball and football and ran track.

The U.S. Army has not responded to requests for his military records, but he often told people he was involved in special operations and was a veteran of the first Gulf War.
Court records in Toledo show that between 1998 and 1999 he was injured and released from the Army.

What he did after he left the Army is unclear. In April 2000, he was working for a Lakewood security firm.

At some point, he started his own security business, Direct Action Security, in his apartment in a renovated building across the street from the Lucas County Courthouse in Toledo.

The company's Web site proclaims "Security Solutions For An Ever Changing World" and features images of automatic weapons, a rocket launcher, and satellite photographs.

Direct Action Security offers one-on-one and group training in weapons, tactics, and personal and property protection.

The site says Griffin can provide "top-notch surveillance services with a vast array of the most sophisticated audiovisual equipment."

Affidavits unsealed last week suggest that Griffin provided agents with surreptitiously made audio and video recordings of El-Hindi, Mohammad Amawi and Wassim Mazloum.

Amawi told his boss at a travel agency that he was being followed.

"I thought he was crazy," said Ashraf Zaim, who runs AZ Travel.

Eventually, Amawi pointed out a camera - much like one pictured on Griffin's Web site - on a utility pole outside the travel agency and said there was another on a pole near his apartment, Zaim said.
When Amawi traveled to Amman, Jordan, with Griffin, he called Zaim on Griffin's satellite telephone. When Griffin returned to the United States after a few weeks, he left his phone with Amawi in Jordan.

"He called everybody on it," Zaim said.

In addition to paying for the phone calls, the FBI apparently bought the airline tickets.

Zaim said Griffin gave Amawi money to buy the tickets through AZ's wholesaler, unwittingly saving the FBI money.

Griffin spent so much time chatting with Amawi at AZ that Zaim sometimes scolded Amawi for not paying enough attention to his work.

He described Griffin as affable and a regular at Muslim events.

Muslim leader Hummos also spoke highly of Griffin.

"Only kind things I remember about the man," Hummos said.

Link: Direct Action Security (http://www.directactionsecurity.com/)

The Trainer

11-01-2007, 13:11

I missed this thread..... let me get this straight, Special Forces soldiers have been giving terrorists dirt naps for some years. One SF'er puts a couple of them behind bars and he enters the "federal witness protection" program?????

They're kidding right? Just give the guy a "federal" carry concealed permit and call it a day. Save the federal witness protection program for those that need it......

Now I've heard everything...... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

TS

Hey Team Daddy..........you know dang well you can't believe everything you read in those so-called newspapers, "RAGS." My state CCW will do just fine for the time being ;)

Team Sergeant

11-01-2007, 16:20

Hey Team Daddy..........you know dang well you can't believe everything you read in those so-called newspapers, "RAGS." My state CCW will do just fine for the time being ;)

LOL I should have known better.....;)

Roguish Lawyer

11-01-2007, 16:40

Nice work, Trainer. Welcome to the Board.

Team Sergeant

12-19-2007, 09:05

An update from "The Trainer"....... Good job Trainer!

SF_BHT

12-19-2007, 16:11

Trainer Good JOB!!!!!!!:D

The Trainer

03-04-2008, 15:10

http://wtol.com/Global/story.asp?s=7922791

Silent Storm151

03-04-2008, 15:31

good work and thank you sir!

Stay Safe,
TJ

The Trainer

03-28-2008, 08:12

Remington Raidr

03-28-2008, 10:20

echoes

03-29-2008, 17:09

echoes

03-30-2008, 13:10

Watched the show. Interesting. :munchin
My "favorite" part was the nut from CAIR. What a fruitcake! Hope that the "right" people are watching that org., as they seem to read from the recipie book for, "How to Deflect Attention From Our Real Jihad!":mad:

This "special" speaks to the severity of what "The Trainer" has had to do, IMVHO. Thank You Sir!

Just my .02...anyone else see it?

Holly

CoLawman

03-30-2008, 16:22

Saw it. Fox did a good job connecting the dots. I was a little disappointed that "The Trainer" did not do a cameo appearrance during the segment on his work. :D

Ambush Master

03-30-2008, 17:02

I was a little disappointed that "The Trainer" did not do a cameo appearrance during the segment on his work. :D

Why would he want to put a "Face" with his "Work"?? Better to remain virtually "Unknown" and still be able to strike again, rather than becomming "The Hunted"!!!

Later
Martin

Team Sergeant

04-03-2008, 08:58

Article published Wednesday, April 2, 2008
300 HOURS OF RECORDINGS
Toledo terror trial begins with debate about tapes
Informant recorded talks with trio

By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The key witness in the U.S. government’s case against three men accused of terrorist activity took the stand Wednesday morning and is being questioned about his background.

Darren Griffin, 42, a former member of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, was born in Lima, Ohio but has lived in Toledo for most of his life where he attended Woodward High School for a period.

An informant in the terrorist case, Mr. Griffin said he became involved with the Federal Bureau of Investigation after spending a year working undercover for the Drug Enforcement Agency. He then said with deep emotion that it was the events of Sept. 11, 2001, that led him to want to take a more active role in the solution.

Mr. Griffin admitted on the witness stand that he’s had some problems with money and drug use in his past.

He testified that he created a new identity for himself, one of a former Green Beret who was disenchanted with the U.S. and the country’s policies overseas. He grew a beard, dressed in traditional Arabic clothing, and began taking classes at a mosque on Monroe Street, he testified.

During questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Sofer, Mr. Griffin outlined his initial contacts with the three defendants. He said that they were not the original "people of interest" that he was assigned to gather information on but that questions from the men heightened his curiosity.

Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 28; Marwan Othman El- Hindi, 45, and Wassim I. Mazloum, 26, are each charged with planning to wage a "holy war" using skills they learned on the Internet. Specifically, the government alleged that the three conspired to kill or injure people in the Middle East — including U.S. troops serving in Iraq — by providing "support and resources." They also are charged with "distributing information regarding explosives."

Mr. Griffin said Mr. El-Hindi asked him about how easy it would be to kidnap an Israeli soldier or a politician. He also spoke of a phone call from Mr. El-Hindi in which he asked Mr. Griffin to train two young men.

"He wanted me to train them for Islamic extremist jihad or holy war," Mr. Griffin testified.

He also testified about meeting Mr. Amawi, specifically about the change in his attitude and appearance after returning from a trip overseas. He said that Mr. Amawi spoke of attempting to cross the border from Jordan to Iraq during his trip overseas and that he later spoke of wanting to perform "jihad against U.S. troops overseas."

Mr. Griffin’s testimony, which is expected to last several days, will continue after lunch.

Although there are more than 300 hours' worth of recorded conversations focused on concepts such as holy wars and suicide vests and roadside bombs, the evidence will show that "nothing happened," defense attorneys countered.

Instead, the tapes will reveal a government informant who constantly criticizes U.S. policy in the Middle East and finally gets the three men to tepidly agree, defense attorney Stephen Hartman said.

Continued:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080402/NEWS02/804020415

The Trainer

04-03-2008, 19:15

[QUOTE=Team Sergeant;205106]Article published Wednesday, April 2, 2008
300 HOURS OF RECORDINGS
Toledo terror trial begins with debate about tapes
Informant recorded talks with trio

Hey "Trainer" you've been busy?

You haven't heard anything yet!

:munchin

Team Sergeant

04-03-2008, 19:25

The Trainer

04-03-2008, 19:37

[QUOTE=The Trainer;205169]

LOL, I've no doubt's. We're behind you Brother!;)

Hey we are a TEAM, we took a oath, we're in this together. I'm just doing my part.......I figure I had a few years break :D

echoes

04-17-2008, 14:01

Here's some info for those interested:

Saturday, March 29 at 9 p.m. ET and Sunday, March 30 at 3 p.m. ET

Hosted by E.D. Hill

Six years after 9/11, are we again failing "to connect the dots" that point to a new kind of jihadist menace? This Fox News investigation exposes the homegrown Islamic terror threat: Muslim extremists radicalized in the U.S. and plotting against Americans. :munchin

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/16/terror.trial/

Judge declares mistrial in 'Liberty City 7' terrorism case

Trainer,

Today's verdict just blows, IMHO!:mad:

WTH is with these Jurors?

Can only hope that those "in the know" comprehend Your courage and bravery in these matters. And thank you Sir, for all you are doing.

God help us!

Holly

SF_BHT

04-17-2008, 16:26

That is stupid. What the hell is happening down there in FL. Is the AUSA stupid or is it just the jury?

Team Sergeant

05-20-2008, 16:25

You still with us Trainer?:munchin

Team Sergeant

Article published Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Feds expected to rest case tomorrow in Toledo terror trial

BEGINNING OF THIS STORY: 3 charged in terror plot; local suspects planned attacks in Iraq, U.S. says (Feb. 22, 2006)

By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

When introducing jurors to the case against three men from Toledo's Muslim community who were charged with crimes that could lead to life imprisonment, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Getz said simply: "This is a terrorism case."

But what federal prosecutors contended was "the development of a terrorist cell here in Toledo, Ohio," defense attorneys countered was "a misplaced effort by the government to go out and find terrorists."

The anticipated three-month trial of Marwan El-Hindi, 45, Mohammad Amawi, 28, and Wassim Mazloum, 26, began in U.S. District Court April 1 with opening statements and has continued with numerous witnesses called by the government. Tomorrow, federal prosecutors will present their last witnesses and rest their case.

During 19 days of testimony and with the use of 16 witnesses, the government has shown a timeline that began in mid-2004 and has chronicled how the three men allegedly became increasingly involved in a conspiracy to plan and train for a holy war overseas.

During the cross-examination of witnesses, defense at-torneys focused on the fact that the more than two-year investigation yielded no actions on the part of any of the defendants - and instead relied on information provided by an informant with a history of drug and financial problems. He was paid $350,000 by the FBI over a period of several years.

Mr. El-Hindi, Mr. Amawi, and Mr. Mazloum are each charged with planning to wage a "holy war" overseas using skills they learned on the Internet. In the indictment released after their February, 2006, arrests, the government alleged that the three conspired to kill or injure people in the Middle East - including U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq - as well as providing "support and resources" to terrorists.

Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi, who have both remained in federal custody since their arrests, are also charged with "distributing information regarding explosives."

The first month of the trial was dominated by the testimony of the government's confidential informant, Darren Griffin - a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces who began working with the FBI in October, 2001. Over a period of eight days and using about 33 hours of audio and video clips, Mr. Griffin outlined his interactions with the three defendants from 2004 through their arrest in February, 2006.

Defense attorneys questioned Mr. Griffin for an additional four days about his motives and techniques while he portrayed a recently converted Muslim who was disenchanted with the U.S. government and sympathetic to Islamic extremists. Playing the same recordings produced by devices hidden within the folds of Mr. Griffin's clothing, defense attorneys said there were times when Mr. Griffin dominated and even initiated conversations about training for "violent jihad."

During Mr. Griffin's time on the stand, attorneys for both the government and the defense focused questions on a Feb. 16, 2005, meeting at Mr. El-Hindi's home - the only time the government had proof of a meeting between the three men.

Federal prosecutors labeled the gathering a "meeting" where the men created a schedule for training. Defense attorneys contended that the meeting was more of a dinner gathering where Mr. El-Hindi's children could be heard on the recordings.

Using testimony from Mr. Griffin, several FBI agents, and analysts of explosives, computers, and languages, federal prosecutors alleged that both Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi were accessing "jihadist Web sites" - many of which they claimed could be used as training sources. Included in those videos were many that showed graphic images of sniper killings, roadside bomb explosions, and attacks on U.S. military and government sites overseas.

In January, 2005, Mr. Amawi downloaded a video that showed step-by-step instructions on how to construct - and explode - a suicide bomb vest, the government said.

The following month, in February, 2005, Mr. El-Hindi forwarded an e-mail he received from an Islamic extremist group that showed a photographic slideshow on the placement and detonation of improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs.

Using linguists and explosive experts, the government dissected the information for jurors, showing how each depicted step-by-step instructions. The e-mail and the video, forwarded to Mr. Griffin by each of the men, led to the charges against Mr. El-Hindi and Mr. Amawi that they distributed information regarding explosives.

During questioning of Mr. Griffin by Mr. Amawi's and Mr. El-Hindi's attorneys, the confidential informant testified that he requested copies of the videos from both men. He then turned the information over to the FBI.

Discs and documents turned over by Mr. Griffin were then translated and analyzed. The FBI also analyzed documents and videos found on the computer drives and discs confiscated from Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi after their arrests.
Explosive 'recipes'

Among the documents downloaded by Mr. Amawi was a "cookbook" of explosives that offered various "recipes," or methods of production, for explosives, Kelly Mount, an FBI forensic explosive expert, testified. "You won't build a bomb but you will have an explosive material and things will go boom," she said.

Ms. Mount admitted under cross-examination by Chuck Boss, who is representing Mr. El-Hindi, that many of the "recipes" did not contain proper ratios and that the amounts of material required are needed to successfully create an explosive.

Although not able to call their own witnesses to the stand yet, defense attorneys spent several hours questioning each of the witnesses called by the government to debunk the government's allegations of conspiracy.

Specifically, during the questioning of Mr. Griffin, defense attorneys asked whether he believed he was "gathering information," as was his order from the FBI, or instead dominating, and in some cases leading, the conversation into talk of "jihad" and training.

Mr. Griffin and the two FBI agents who served as his contacts during the investigation - Special Agent Shannon Coats and retired Special Agent William Radcliffe - each testified that they believed Mr. Griffin was following orders to gather information on specific people identified by the FBI.

But during each agent's testimony, defense attorneys pointed to recordings and transcripts where Mr. Griffin was heard encouraging people to go shooting at an indoor range, telling people he was forming a cell, and speaking about using a security company he was forming as a "cloak" for the true purpose of meeting.
Appropriate behavior

Under defense questioning, both agents responded that none of the examples showed a time when Mr. Griffin went beyond what they felt was appropriate behavior.

The government deviated from expert witnesses and law enforcement only once during the case, when Mikaeil Almozrouei, a former member of the mosque on Monroe Street, testified about his interactions with Mr. El-Hindi and his time spent with Mr. Amawi, who was a neighbor.

Mr. Almozrouei, 41, who lives in Michigan, testified on May 8 that he was uncomfortable with the ideals Mr. Amawi expressed about their religion and tried to distance himself. Specifically, he said Mr. Amawi tried to convince him that beheadings and military attacks shown in videos were "just."

He described an encounter in which he was among a small group of men asked by Mr. El-Hindi if they wanted "to go to Afghanistan and train for jihad."

Nine men and seven women make up the 12 trial jurors and four alternates who were chosen to decide the case. The trial is expected to conclude in late June.

Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com
or 419-213-2134.

The Trainer

05-26-2008, 19:09

:munchin Yeah I'm still here... just a little hot under the collar becasue of the inaccurate reporting of those so called rags of newspapers in the area. I would not line the bottom of my bird cage with those rags. Dont worry, we will talk soon!

:mad:

Team Sergeant

05-26-2008, 21:41

AngelsSix

06-03-2008, 20:25

Interesting.............:cool:

The Trainer

06-18-2008, 18:33

The Jury looked past all the BS the defense tried to throw out......I salute them for that.

http://www.myfoxtoledo.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=175905D8D0FBC1B9D9CEE96873CE0646 ?contentId=6765181&version=17&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Razor

06-18-2008, 21:35

Thanks for your part in putting them away, Trainer.

JMI

06-19-2008, 17:41

“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

Thank you, Trainer, for putting yourself on the line like that.

Take care.

JJ_BPK

06-19-2008, 17:49

Trainer
Cold Beers on me if you ever get to the Conch Republic...
Thanks

Gypsy

06-19-2008, 20:19

Thank you seems so...insufficient but it's all I have, Trainer. Thanks for putting it on the line. Stay safe, and be well.

Ambush Master

06-20-2008, 18:25

The Jury looked past all the BS the defense tried to throw out......I salute them for that.

Good on'ya and as we say in NE FtWorth Muchos Grassy Ass!!! If you ever come through DFW, give me a Heads Up and I'll meet you at the Gate. I've got all the Stinkin Badges!!:D

Take care.
Martin

The Trainer

06-22-2008, 13:04

Thank you to all for your support. I appreciate your comments. Coming from you means everything.

Team Sergeant

07-07-2008, 13:28

Great job Trainer!:lifter

Team Sergeant

How an undercover FBI informant busted an alleged terror ring.

TERROR WATCH
Michael Isikoff andMark Hosenball
Jul 3, 2008 | Updated: 2:51 p.m. ET Jul 3, 2008

A recent federal trial in Ohio offers new details about how the FBI uses informants in Muslim communities to gather intelligence on domestic terrorist threats.

Since Sept. 11, the bureau's aggressive use of such informants—including giving them the green light to spy on suspects inside mosques—has triggered concerns about potential civil liberties abuses. The issue is threatening to become even hotter: Attorney General Michael Mukasey recently confirmed he is expanding internal FBI guidelines governing the use of undercover informants in national security investigations. The proposed new guidelines, according to two senior law enforcement officials, would give FBI agents greater latitude to "task" undercover informants to collect intelligence in entire communities where potential threats are deemed to exist, rather than simply targeting specific individuals suspected of wrongdoing.

But a recent counter-terrorism case in Toledo, Ohio, shows how the FBI already started down that road in the wake of 9/11. Thanks largely to the work of a well-compensated FBI undercover informant, federal prosecutors last month secured the convictions of three Islamic radicals in Toledo on charges of conspiring to kill or maim U.S. troops overseas. FBI officials have touted the case as a major success story in part because it exposed what they see as an increasingly alarming phenomenon: the emergence of "homegrown" jihadis who cook up terror plots on their own after downloading violent extremist literature and terror training manuals over the Internet.

"O Mujahid brother, in order to join the great training camps, you don't have to travel to other lands," reads one of the manuals downloaded by the defendants from a Saudi Arabian website linked to Al Qaeda. "Alone in your home or with a group of your brothers, you too can begin to execute the training."

It is not clear how far the three Toledo men—all of Middle Eastern descent--would have gotten in their plans to attack U.S. troops in Iraq. Defense lawyers insist their clients were convicted based on mere "talk," not any actual acts of terrorism. But federal officials say the FBI would never have learned of the defendants in the first place had it not been for the work of a former U.S. Special Forces commando named Darren Griffin, who was recruited by the FBI after 9/11 and instructed to insinuate himself into the Toledo Muslim community, posing as a convert to Islam with extremist views.

"I'm profoundly disturbed that the government would send someone into the Islamic community to gather information without more specifics," said Steve Hartman, who represented one of the defendants, Marwan el-Hindi, a 45-year one-time travel agent and prison Imam. "The Islamic community should assume based on this that someone around them is working for the government. That's also disturbing."

Federal officials say that Griffin, who was paid more than $300,000 for his work, had previously served as an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration. After the 9/11 attacks, the DEA suggested to the FBI that Griffin, who spoke Farsi and rudimentary Arabic and had been injured during a parachute jump overseas, could help the bureau in its new top priority mission of collecting intelligence on domestic Islamic extremists.

continued:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/144517/page/1

http://www.newsweek.com/id/144517/page/2

http://www.newsweek.com/id/144517/page/3

SF_BHT

07-07-2008, 14:09

Again Great Job.....:lifter

echoes

07-07-2008, 15:10

Thank You Trainer!!!

JMI

07-07-2008, 20:32

"I'm profoundly disturbed that the government would send someone into the Islamic community to gather information without more specifics,"
Well I'm profoundly disturbed that your profoundly disturbed, Mr Idiot Defense Attorney.

"The Islamic community should assume based on this that someone around them is working for the government. That's also disturbing."

Damn right they need to assume that. Who knows, maybe another Trainer could be there right now stopping another threat.

Team Sergeant

02-25-2009, 13:44

Trainer you've been busy.....;) Nice work.

Team Sergeant

Friday, January 16, 2009
Chicago Muslim Terrorists Zubair Ahmed And Khaleel Ahmed Plead Guilty To Conspiracy to Provide Material Support To Al-Qaeda, recruited on the internet WASHINGTON, Zubair Ahmed & Khaleel Ahmed pleaded guilty in Northern Dist of Ohio to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in connection with their efforts to murder or maim U.S. military forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Today's guilty pleas were announced by Matthew Olsen, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security; William J. Edwards, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Zubair Ahmed and his cousin Khaleel Ahmed (HIS PHOTO ABOVE) each pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge James G. Carr in Toledo, Ohio, to a one-count, superseding information charging them with conspiracy to provide material support and resources, including the defendants themselves as personnel, to terrorists in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. Section 2339A.

http://www.billwarnerpi.com/2009/01/chicago-muslim-terrorists-zubair-ahmed.html

CHICAGO COUSINS PLEAD GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY
TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO TERRORISTS

WASHINGTON – Zubair Ahmed, 29, and Khaleel Ahmed, 28, both residents of Chicago, pleaded guilty today in the Northern District of Ohio to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in connection with their efforts to travel abroad in order to murder or maim U.S. military forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Today’s guilty pleas were announced by Matthew Olsen, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security; William J. Edwards, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Zubair Ahmed and his cousin Khaleel Ahmed each pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge James G. Carr in Toledo, Ohio, to a one-count, superseding information charging them with conspiracy to provide material support and resources, including the defendants themselves as personnel, to terrorists in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. Section 2339A. At sentencing, each defendant faces a statutory maximum of 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, followed by three years of supervised release.

According to the superseding information and other information entered into the court record today:
The criminal conspiracy involving Zubair and Khaleel Ahmed began no later than April 1, 2004, and continued until their arrests on Feb. 21, 2007. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants made preparations to travel overseas in order to engage in acts that would result in the murder or maiming of U.S. military forces in either Iraq or Afghanistan. On or about May 21, 2004, the defendants traveled to Cairo, Egypt, with the intent of engaging in acts that would result in the murder or maiming of U.S. military forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

After their return from Egypt, on or about July 4, 2004, Zubair and Khaleel Ahmed discussed, sought and received instruction on firearms from another individual in Cleveland. The defendants also sought and discussed training in counter-surveillance techniques and sniper rifles with this individual. Specifically, defendant Zubair Ahmed discussed his desire to learn how to use and move with a .50-caliber machine gun.

http://cleveland.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2009/terroristsupport011509.htm

Cousins plead guilty to terrorism chargesFriday, January 16, 2009 | 10:43 AM
By Chuck GoudieJanuary 15, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- A pair of Chicago men identified by the ABC 7 I-Team as "the Radical Cousins" pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal terrorism charges.
Investigative reporter Chuck Goudie broke the story of the accused terrorist cousins last September.
At that time, when we last saw 28-year-old Khaleel Ahmed and his 29-year-old cousin Zubair, both men claimed to be innocent of any terrorist connections and promised to fight the federal charges against them.
That was four months ago. On Thursday, they changed their minds and pleaded guilty.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=6606868

echoes

02-25-2009, 17:42

Trainer you've been busy.....;) Nice work.

TT,

Thank You for Your service Sir!!!:lifter

Holly

ACE844

02-25-2009, 17:53

Thank you for your vigilance and ongoing sacrifices and service "trainer."

Gypsy

02-25-2009, 18:51

Thank you, Trainer...thank you.

JJ_BPK

02-25-2009, 19:13

Trainer
Cold Beers on me if you ever get to the Conch Republic...
Thanks

I'll up the anti,, Whisky all around..