5 D.C. Muslims Detained in Pakistan

Warrior-Mentor · 12-09-2009, 12:49

Breaking News:
Pakistan Reportedly Detains Five D.C.-Area Muslims on Suspicion of Terror
IPT News
December 8, 2009

http://www.investigativeproject.org/...issing-dc-area

**Updated December 9, 9:00 a.m. EST

A Pakistani newspaper reports the arrest of five foreign nationals after a raid in a town called Sargodha. The raid took place at the home of a member of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, a Pakistani movement designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2001.

According to the report, "The DPO told that these people had been living in Sargodha since Nov 30 and it was quite a possibility that they were engaged in acts of terrorism." It names the five as Ahmed Abdullah, Waqar Hassan Khan, Eman Hassan, Yasir and Rami Zamzam and describes them as two Yemenis, an Egyptian, a Swede and a U.S.-born Pakistani.

December 8: Federal investigators are searching for a Howard University dental student and four other missing Muslim men reported missing from the Washington, D.C. area, the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has learned. There is concern they may have been sent abroad to train for jihad. The five were last seen November 29.

The identities of two of the missing men, Howard student Ramy Zamzam and Waqar Khan, have been mentioned in online postings, including a Facebook page that was set up Monday for friends to offer their support. Some of those pages, however, appear restricted to friends and associates.

It is not clear where the men are believed to have gone, but an informed source told the IPT that at least one left behind a farewell video.

According to the Facebook and Twitter postings, Zamzam is among the missing. He has been active in the Muslim Students Association [MSA], [COMMENT: MSA is known Muslim Brotherhood front group] serving as president of the MSA DC Council. A Howard University spokeswoman has not responded to questions from the IPT.

The disappearance comes as U.S. officials are increasingly concerned about the threat of homegrown Islamist extremism. This concern is prompted by a spike in attacks like the Fort Hood massacre, and conspiracies broken up by law enforcement before any attacks took place.

President Obama noted the increase during his speech last week at West Point explaining the Afghanistan surge:

"In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror."

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano echoed that sentiment in a speech last week. "We are seeing young Americans who are inspired by Al Qaeda and radical ideology," she said.

On Monday, federal prosecutors charged a Chicago man with six counts of conspiracy tied to the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India that killed more than 170 people, including six Americans. That attack was believed to be carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist group that has been implicated in conspiracies in Virginia, Toronto and elsewhere.

On the surface, at least, the situation in Washington resembles the case of 20 young Somalis who disappeared from the Minneapolis area a year ago. They are believed to have made their way back to Somalia, where they trained with the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

At least three of those men have died, including one who became the first known American citizen to carry out a suicide bombing. Fourteen people have been indicted in relation to the Somali recruitment effort.

Little is known about Zamzam. In 2008, he was part of a student effort in northern Virginia to solicit mosques throughout the country to raise money to build a new mosque. He also posted a comment indicating he thought women were required by Islam to cover themselves and that Muslim women who did not faced punishment from God.

"Those that don't, then woe to them for a day where all will be held accountable for what they put forth in the life of this world, and Allah SWT wrongs no one, and He is the Most Just, Most Merciful."

SOURCE:
http://www.investigativeproject.org/...issing-dc-area

Five Washington, D.C.-area Muslims arrested in Pakistan for jihad activity Misunderstanding Islam on a global scale. "Breaking News: Pakistan Reportedly Detains Five D.C.-Area Muslims on Suspicion of Terror," from IPT News, December 8, updated December 9 (thanks to Axel):

The Muslim Students Association is, of course, a Muslim Brotherhood group. And the Brotherhood is engaged in its own words in a "kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within."

SOURCE:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/fi...-area-muslims-
arrested-in-pakistan-for-jihad-activity.html

**The Reaper** · 12-09-2009, 13:27

Good, keep them.

TR

Ret10Echo · 12-09-2009, 13:35

Local D.C. Radio has picked it up...

Quote:

Howard University student detained in Pakistan
December 9, 2009 - 2:27pm

Howard University student Ramy Zamzam was arrested in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of Facebook) WASHINGTON - One of five U.S. citizens arrested in Pakistan on terrorism charges is a student at Howard University, WTOP has learned.
A federal enforcement source says Howard University dental student Ramy Zamzam and four unidentified D.C.-area students were arrested Wednesday after Pakistani police launched a raid in Sargodha, a town in the eastern province Punjab.

Authorities became suspicious and began looking for Zamzam after he and the men disappeared just after Thanksgiving.

One of the men left what investigators say is a farewell video saying Muslims must be defended and featuring images of American casualties, U.S. officials say.
Pakistani police officer Tahir Gujjar told the Associated Press that three of the men are Americans of Pakistani descent, one is of Egyptian descent and the other is of Yemeni heritage.

Regional police chief Mian Javed Islam told The Associated Press that the men were between the ages of 18 and 20 and had spent the past few days in Sargodha, which is near an air base about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the capital, Islamabad.

FYI Guys...the image of one of the men was provided by FACEBOOK.....

Story link here

Ret10Echo · 12-10-2009, 10:53

More from the BBC.

This also ties into the discussion concerning the "Premature One's" acceptance speech...

Quote:

Pakistan: Detained Americans Admit Jihad Plan
Thursday , December 10, 2009

Five young American Muslims admitted traveling to Pakistan for jihad, and were on their way to a training camp when they were swept up in an anti-terrorism raid, according to Pakistani law enforcement officials.

The Americans allegedly met with representatives of an Al Qaeda-linked group and asked for training but were turned down because they lacked references from trusted militants, officials said Thursday.

They were arrested Wednesday at a house in Sargodha linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a banned military organization, Pakistani officers said. This is the same group suspected in the abduction of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Investigators are sharing their findings with FBI officials now in Sargodha.

Regional police chief Javed Islam said the men wanted to join militants in Pakistan's tribal area before crossing into Afghanistan and said they met with Jaish-e-Mohammed in Hyderabad, and with representatives of a related group, Jamat-ud-Dawa, in Lahore.

Another law enforcement official, Usman Anwar, the local police chief in the eastern city of Sargodha, told The Associated Press that the five are "directly connected" to the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

"They are proudly saying they are here for jihad" or holy war, Anwar said.

A key break in the case came not from federal agents or spies, but parents worried their sons may have made a terrible decision.

The families, based in the northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., area, were particularly concerned after watching what is described as a disturbing farewell video from the young men, showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.

"One person appeared in that video and they made references to the ongoing conflict in the world and that young Muslims have to do something," said Nihad Awad, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. The video has not been made public.

After the disappearance of the five men in late November, their families, members of the local Muslim community, sought help from CAIR, which put them in touch with the FBI and got them a lawyer.

The missing men range in age from 19 to 25. One, Ramy Zamzam, is a dental student at Howard University. Pakistani police officer Tahir Gujjar identified the other four as Eman Yasir, Waqar Hasan, Umer Farooq and Khalid Farooq.

On the heels of charges against a Chicago man accused of plotting international terrorism, the case is another worrisome sign that Americans can be recruited within the United States to enlist in terrorist networks.

President Barack Obama declined to talk specifically about the case Thursday, but said, "We have to constantly be mindful that some of these twisted ideologies are available over the Internet."

Obama, in Oslo, Norway, to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, also praised "the extraordinary contributions of the Muslim-American community, and how they have been woven into the fabric of our nation in a seamless fashion."

A Virginia Muslim leader said the five men did not seem to have become militant before they left the U.S.

"From all of our interviews, there was no sign they were outwardly radicalized," said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik.

Pakistan has many militant groups based in its territory and the U.S. has been pressing the government to crack down on extremism. Al Qaeda and Taliban militants are believed to be hiding in lawless tribal areas near the Afghan border.

In Washington, a spokeswoman for the FBI's local office said agents have been trying to help find the men.

"We are working with Pakistan authorities to determine their identities and the nature of their business there if indeed these are the students who had gone missing," said the spokeswoman, Katherine Schweit.

According to officials at CAIR, the five left the country at the end of November without telling their families.

After the young men left, at least one phoned his family still claiming to be in the United States, but the caller ID information suggested they were overseas.

A Howard University spokesman confirmed Zamzam was a student there but declined further comment.

Samirah Ali, president of Howard University's Muslim Student Association, said the FBI contacted her last week about Zamzam, and told her he had been missing for a week. Ali said she's known Zamzam for three years and never suspected he would be involved in radical activities.

"He's a very nice guy, very cordial, very friendly," Ali said.

One of Zamzam's younger brothers, interviewed at the family's Alexandria, Va., apartment, said Zamzam has a 4.0 grade-point average.

"He's a good guy," the brother said, identifying himself only by a nickname, "Zam." "He's a normal Joe."

**The Reaper** · 12-10-2009, 12:17

Quote:

A Virginia Muslim leader said the five men did not seem to have become militant before they left the U.S.

Perhaps that is a recognition or perception problem, rather than a fact.

What would he consider "militant"? Someone who hasn't actually killed anyone of another faith yet?

TR

PedOncoDoc · 12-10-2009, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Perhaps that is a recognition or perception problem, rather than a fact.

What would he consider "militant"? Someone who hasn't actually killed anyone of another faith yet?

Agreed - they had not displayed militant activity yet because they hadn't been trained. What was the "Muslim leader"'s reasoning for their unanncounced and hasty trip to Pakistan?

Whereas I'm sure it's lovely this time of year, most college kids tend to go to Florida or Cancun.

Ret10Echo · 12-10-2009, 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Perhaps that is a recognition or perception problem, rather than a fact.

What would he consider "militant"? Someone who hasn't actually killed anyone of another faith yet?

TR

S.J.S. (Sudden Jihadist Syndrome) is difficult to diagnose. I would assume that there was some level of motivation prior.

This appears to be more than the average college "road-trip"....

Not to mention any question on how/who funded the travel?

Warrior-Mentor · 12-10-2009, 14:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Perhaps that is a recognition or perception problem, rather than a fact.

What would he consider "militant"? Someone who hasn't actually killed anyone of another faith yet?

TR

Based on the story I heard on the radio this morning, that "Virginia Muslim Leader" was Omar Ahmad, the Muslim Brother from CAIR, a Muslim Brotherhood front organization.

See #22 on Page 15, here:
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscel...ategicGoal.pdf

You'll find the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the top 3 leaders all left IAP to for the leadership of CAIR. All three are Muslim Brothers.

Or it could have been Salam al-Marayati of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), another Muslim Brotherhood front organization.

Wish they'd quit hiding their sources when reporting so we knew which bad guy they were quoting...

afchic · 12-10-2009, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Good, keep them.

TR

From what I heard on the news this morning, it is likely that instead of charging them with conspiracy, it is more than likely they will be sent back here.

What can the US government do? If the conspiracy was to perpetrate an act against a foreign government, and that government subsequently releases them, can they even be charged with anything here in the US? Or would them come home and be free?

JAGO · 12-10-2009, 15:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by afchic

From what I heard on the news this morning, it is likely that instead of charging them with conspiracy, it is more than likely they will be sent back here.

What can the US government do? If the conspiracy was to perpetrate an act against a foreign government, and that government subsequently releases them, can they even be charged with anything here in the US? Or would them come home and be free?

afchic,

They can be prosecuted in the US, Title 18 USC 956(a)(b), 960 and a Conspiracy (18 USC 371) come to mind. Start at 18 956 and arrow up the statutes.

Here's the link to search US code (too much to cut and paste)

http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml

v/r
phil

afchic · 12-10-2009, 15:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAGO

afchic,

They can be prosecuted in the US, Title 18 USC 956(a)(b), 960 and a Conspiracy (18 USC 371) come to mind. Start at 18 956 and arrow up the statutes.

Here's the link to search US code (too much to cut and paste)

http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml

v/r
phil

Thanks

Sigaba · 12-10-2009, 17:19

A general question.

Would there be any utility to a nonpartisan campaign to decouple "radicalism" from "militancy"?

In this formulation, the U.S. could send a clear, consistent message to all. Think what you like, say what you like in terms of how you envision your perfect 'end state' for America and the world. However, once you cross a line (by your actions) and engage in militant conduct, you're going to attract the attention of the federal government. (And this line would be drawn in titanium, not in sand.)

Once radicals of all stripes understand what type of conduct is unacceptable they will have to do the hard work of changing minds in the marketplace of ideals and establishing a sustainable agenda in the arena of politics. In a short enough time, more and more radicals would end up where most--not all--of them deserve to be--on the margins.

In the specific case of Islamic theology, the burden of proof would be placed squarely in the jihadists' laps. You guys say you practice a religion of peace? Well, here's your chance to prove it. To their inevitable griping that they that were being subjected to some sort of double standard, it would be pointed out that everyone is being held to the same standard.

(FWIW, I'm not as concerned with the relatively high birth rates in certain communities. I am a strong believer that American mass popular culture is a powerful leavening--and liberating--force. Imagery of the American Dream is just a mouse-click away.)

Warrior-Mentor · 12-10-2009, 17:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sigaba

A general question.

Would there be any utility to a nonpartisan campaign to decouple "radicalism" from "militancy"?

In this formulation, the U.S. could send a clear, consistent message to all. Think what you like, say what you like in terms of how you envision your perfect 'end state' for America and the world. However, once you cross a line (by your actions) and engage in militant conduct, you're going to attract the attention of the federal government. (And this line would be drawn in titanium, not in sand.)

Once radicals of all stripes understand what type of conduct is unacceptable they will have to do the hard work of changing minds in the marketplace of ideals and establishing a sustainable agenda in the arena of politics. In a short enough time, more and more radicals would end up where most--not all--of them deserve to be--on the margins.

In the specific case of Islamic theology, the burden of proof would be placed squarely in the jihadists' laps. You guys say you practice a religion of peace? Well, here's your chance to prove it. To their inevitable griping that they that were being subjected to some sort of double standard, it would be pointed out that everyone is being held to the same standard.

(FWIW, I'm not as concerned with the relatively high birth rates in certain communities. I am a strong believer that American mass popular culture is a powerful leavening--and liberating--force. Imagery of the American Dream is just a mouse-click away.)

Might work in the academic environment, but not in the real world. It would be one more imaginary "line" the enemy would use to manipulate us - just like the imaginary line between Afghanistan and Pakistan the Brits created to separate tribes in the tough areas in the FATA.

We're already seeing this as they push the line on flights to see what they can get away with...flying imams case was one...and something fishy happened on the Air Tran flight...even if it wasn't as spectacular as the "hero" e-mail made it out to be....

As for their efforts to "prove it" they are getting better at the double speak. Just read yesterday's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Spencer's response was interesting as well.

My take is that we need to look at ways to simplify engagements, surveillance, arrests, etc...not complicate them even more....

12-10-2009, 17:34

I heard on Fox News, that thier parents turned them in? Or was it they just reported them missin? Isn't what they did treason?

Ret10Echo · 12-10-2009, 17:50

CAIR Lawyer was on Newshour tonight discussing the "5"

afchic:
The parents became concerned, went to CAIR (and why shouldn't they that is they are the authorities right?).