Another Indictment Brought in Minnesota Al-Shabaab Investigation

A 26-year-old Ohio man was arrested Thursday for allegedly conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. Ahmed Hussein Mahamud appeared before an Ohio court, after which an indictment filed in a Minnesota federal court last week was unsealed. Mahamud will be transported to Minnesota where the case against him will proceed.

The indictment alleges that in April and July of 2009, Mahamud knowingly provided "financial support and personnel" intended to be used "under al-Shabaab's direction and control" to fight against Ethiopian forces, then battling al-Shabaab in Somalia alongside transitional government forces and African Union peacekeepers.

Ethiopia first sent troops to Somalia in 2006 to help the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in its fight against Somali militants, but eventually withdrew its forces in 2009. Al-Shabaab has been fighting the TFG for control of Somalia since the transitional government was formed in 2004 as the first recognized government since the Somali state's collapse in 1991.

The indictment unsealed Thursday charges Mahamud with four counts total of conspiring to provide and providing support to terrorists and al-Shabaab, designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization in 2008.

According to the Department of Justice, eighteen people in Minnesota have been indicted on charges related to the recruitment of individuals to fight with al-Shabaab overseas. Five of those have pleaded guilty. The FBI confirmed Thursday that one of those indicted men died trying to execute a suicide attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on May 30^th.

Al-Shabaab-related charges have also been brought against individuals in San Diego and St. Louis. The California and Missouri indictments both accused defendants of conspiring to raise money to send to al-Shabaab through a hawala, or informal money transferring network, in the U.S.

New Evidence in Brooklyn Terrorist Case

Federal prosecutors recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Kosovo with new evidence against a U.S. citizen from Brooklyn accused of trying to join a terrorist group overseas.

The man, Betim Kaziu, was charged in September 2009 with conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and to provide material support to terrorists. According to the indictment, Kaziu traveled to Egypt in February 2009 to purchase weapons and then attempted to join the Somali-based Al-Shabaab, which is an affiliate of al Qaida and a terrorist group designated by the State Department. He also sought to train in Pakistan to fight American troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans, but was finally arrested in Kosovo possessing 2 AK-47s and several hand grenades.

The new evidence against Kaziu comes from a witness in Kosovo who provided details to prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn about Kaziu's activities in the Balkans prior to his arrest in August 2009.

In his May 23 deposition before a special proceeding in a district court in southern Kosovo, the witness confirmed that Kaziu was a radical Islamist, stating "he wanted to die a martyr for the cause of Islam." He also testified to watching al Qaida propaganda videos with Kaziu on the latter's computer in Kosovo. In terms of his desire to support terrorist groups, the witness said that Kaziu "maybe" expressed interest in joining al Qaida but he wasn't certain.

Assistant US Attorney Shreve Ariail informed Judge John Gleeson in New York that prosecutors may introduce this new evidence at Kaziu's upcoming trial.

Chicago Businessman Found Guilty on Two Counts in Terrorism Trial

A federal jury Thursday found a Pakistan-born Chicago businessman guilty on charges of participating in a conspiracy to attack a Danish newspaper and providing material support to the Pakistan-based terror group, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT).

Tahawwur Rana was acquitted on the charge of conspiring to provide material support to the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist strike that killed over 160 people, including six Americans.

The verdict came after two days of jury deliberations following a trial that began May 16.

Prosecutors alleged Rana's immigration company provided cover to American Lashkar operative David Headley to scout targets for the Mumbai attacks. David Headley pleaded guilty last year to his role in plotting the attacks and was the prosecution's star witness in the trial.

In his testimony, Headley said Rana knew about the plot and supported it. He also testified that members of Pakistan's powerful intelligence services, the ISI, also helped plot and finance the attacks.

Headley's testimony was corroborated by other evidence presented at the trial, including e-mails, tape recordings and videotaped admissions, Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Peters said in her closing arguments Tuesday.

Prosecutors also claimed Rana assisted Headley in a plot to attack the offices of the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten. The newspaper's 2005 publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad had unleashed a wave of protests across the Muslim world.

Defense attorneys challenged the credibility of Headley's testimony. They argued that Rana was manipulated by Headley, who agreed to testify against his childhood friend to avoid the death penalty.

Six other co-defendants in the case who were indicted along with Rana and Headley in late 2009 are believed to be in Pakistan.

The verdict brings to a close a trial that attracted international media attention because much of the testimony implicated Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency in the Mumbai attacks and other plots.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald applauded the verdict saying, "The message should be clear to all those who help terrorists — we will bring to justice all those who seek to facilitate violence."

Canadian Al-Shabaab Militant Killed in Mogadishu

UPDATE: The FBI's Minneapolis Office has confirmed the identity of one of two suicide bombers involved in the attack on a Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) military checkpoint in Mogadishu on May 30^th as Farah Mohamed Beledi.

Somali forces killed a Canadian al-Shabaab fighter Wednesday in a gun fight that ensued after he and other man refused to obey orders to stop at a military checkpoint in the capital of Mogadishu.

A source from the Somali-Canadian community told the National Post that a cell phone found on the body contained text messages and call logs reflecting contact with family in Toronto. A Somali army official said that a Canadian passport on the body identified the man as Muhan Jeans.

Jeans, reported a Somali radio station, is known as "Abdurrahman the Canadian" and is said to be an al-Shabaab commander in charge of the Juba region, near the Kenyan border.

Canadian security authorities are currently investigating the disappearance of 20 Canadians thought to have traveled to Somalia to join the al-Qaida linked militant Islamist group. In March, Canadian police arrested 25-year-old Mohamed Hersi at a Toronto airport before he left for Somalia and charged him with plotting to join al-Shabaab.

Al-Shabaab is well-known for its ability to recruit Western youth to fight the Somali transitional government for its ultimate goal of installing a pan-Islamic state in Somalia.

Like Canada, the U.S. has also opened investigations into the disappearance of Somali youth-primarily out of Minnesota. One Minnesota man, indicted in absentia by the U.S. last year, was reported to have died while trying to execute an al-Shabaab suicide bomb attack in Mogadishu last week.

Family members identified 27-year-old Farah Beledi in a photo from the scene of the attack which killed three, including one government solider. The Star Tribune reports that Beledi is believed to have left Minnesota shortly before he was indicted with seven others on terrorism-related charges. Abdullahi Ahmed, also from Minnesota, was initially identified as the perpetrator of the attack.

The FBI has not yet confirmed the identity of the bomber. It is unclear whether the initial reports were incorrect or if both men were killed in the attack. A Minnesota Public Radio report noted that while Beledi died before he successfully activated his bombs, African Union officials say another man successfully detonated his.

Feds Seek Life Sentences for Men Convicted in Synagogue Plot

Four men convicted in a plot to attack a N.Y. synagogue and shoot missiles at military planes "readily agreed to participate in a spectacular terrorist attack," federal prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo filed Wednesday. The memo recommended that James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and LaGuerre Payen all receive life in prison at sentencing.

The defendants, also known as the "Bronx Four," were arrested in May 2009 after they conspired to use what they thought were live weapons against a N.Y. synagogue and U.S. military planes at New York Air National Guard Base in Newburgh. An FBI informant, whom the defendants believed to be a member of the Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), provided them with inoperable missiles and bombs.

In October 2010, all four defendants were convicted for attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to use anti-aircraft missiles and conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel. Cromitie and David Williams were additionally convicted on one count of attempting to kill U.S. officers and employees.

Prosecutors hope to apply a terrorism enhancement at sentencing.

The memo states that the defendants "intended" to cause injury to the U.S. "This is not a close call," it said. "They engaged in a plot to fire missiles at U.S. military airplanes, which involved, among other things, their surveillance of those targets… and selection of a precise location from which to fire those weapons." Prosecutors also argued that the defendants intended to aid JeM, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.

The U.S. also wants to use Cromitie's statements regarding Jews to apply a hate crime enhancement. Regarding the synagogue attack, Cromitie told the FBI informant, "I don't give a f- if a bunch of Jews are in there," "Jews are the most wickedest people that Allah has created," and "These f-ing Jews get me sick."

Defense attorneys claim that their clients were entrapped by the FBI agent- who offered them $250,000 to commit the acts. A recent report compiled by New York University's law school also labels the case as entrapment. But as Investigative Project analysis reveals, U.S Judge Colleen McMahon rejected the defense's motion to overturn the jury's verdict based on the entrapment defense in May, upholding the convictions.

In trying to debunk the entrapment argument for sentencing, the government wrote, "Few people in the world would agree to do such horrible things. Not for money. Not for anything."

"This investigation revealed what their rap sheets never could: that these defendants were among the handful of people in the country who would actually agree to join forces with a terrorist."

James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams are set to be sentenced on June 29^th. Payen's sentencing has been postponed pending a psychiatric evaluation.

Treasury Targets Iranian Security Forces

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the State Department jointly sanctioned three Iranian security groups, including one previously designated for WMD proliferation, and a police chief Thursday, citing their role in human rights abuses since the disputed June 2009 elections.

The move comes after Iran's announcement Wednesday that it plans to triple production of nuclear fuel and increase uranium enrichment by 20 percent- moving the country closer to the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

The action against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Basji Resistance Force (Basji) and Iran's national police and its chief, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, was taken pursuant a September 2010 executive order signed by President Obama blocking any Iranian government officials or entities engaging in human rights violations.

A U.S. Treasury statement accused the IRGC, formed in 1979 by the late Ayatollah Khomeini, of violent abuse of election protesters and mistreatment of political detainees. In 2007, the Treasury designated the IRGC for its role in advancing Iran's nuclear programs. The IRGC and its senior officials have been linked to material support of Hizballah, for which Khomeini still serves as a source of inspiration.

The U.S. has since continued to designate IRGC-linked groups and individuals. In February, the U.S. designated four companies affiliated with the IRGC. Last December, the Treasury announced the designation of the IRGC's financial networks.

The Basji, a paramilitary force under the IRGC, has been linked to attacks on university students, abuse of detainees and violent action against protesters. In February, the U.S. designated Basji commander Mohammed Reza Naqdi for his role in violence against post 2009 election protesters, which left 125 people dead.

Iran police chief Moghadam was specifically designated for his role in an attack and abuse of students living in Tehran University dormitories. Moghadam's forces, Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), have also been accused of abuse of and refusal to provide medical care to detainees at Kahrizak detention center.

Michael Posner, State Department Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said the new action demonstrates that "law enforcement agencies not only have a responsibility to enforce the law but also to live up to universal human rights commitments and Iran's own constitution."

Syrian Forces Surround Town

Residents fled from a northwestern Syrian town Wednesday as government forces surrounded it in anticipation of a military strike against dissidents, the Wall Street Journal reported. The government vowed to strike back against the town of Jisr al-Shoghour, after it claimed 120 police and security forces were killed there earlier this week.

While many of town's 65,000 residents, have fled north, with some even crossing into Turkey, anti-government activists and defected soldiers vowed to stay and fight.

"We want to gather in Jisr al-Shoghour and wait for the army to arrive," said a 21-year old Syrian army defector. "We want to resist, us and the other soldiers here."

Nadim Houry, a Human Rights Watch senior researcher on the Middle East stated that it remained unclear "who is opposing the Syrian security forces and what is the extent of this armed opposition."

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said he would accept fleeing refugees. "It is out of the question for us to shut down the border crossings," he said. An estimated 400 people already have crossed into Turkey.

Prompted by the escalating violence, Britain and France vowed to draft a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's repressive crackdown. British Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament it will demand accountability and humanitarian action and the United States has endorsed the proposal.

"We believe that such a resolution will bring added pressure on Assad's regime and advance the international community's efforts to end the brutal repression on Syrian people," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

Russia and China, however, indicated they will oppose any UN declaration opposing Assad, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty reported. "The Council should have the goal to solve problems by political means and not to create the conditions for another armed conflict," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

Terrorism Case Exposes Gaps in Refugee Screening

It took nearly two years for American security officials to match the fingerprints of an Iraqi man entering the country as a refugee to those found on an unexploded roadside bomb found in Bayji in 2005.

Now several analysts and public officials want to know why, and whether any similar lapses have occurred.

Waad Alwan entered the United States in April 2009 after applying for, and receiving, refugee status. Five months later, the FBI's office in Bowling Green launched an investigation into the Iraqi national. In January 2011, authorities matched Alwan's fingerprints taken in 2009 to those lifted off the bomb in 2005.

Alwan has been jailed since May 25 and is charged with conspiring to kill Americans abroad, to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida in Iraq, among other charges.

Investigators also did not realize that Alwan had been previously arrested in 2006 by Iraqi authorities after fighting with militant insurgents for three years. Officials and experts agree the case indicates problems with the refugee screening process.

Stewart Baker, who developed the Bush administration's national security policy, told National Public Radio that the United States must "go back and review the files of the people who've already been admitted here to make sure that we didn't make mistakes at the time." Baker estimates that 18,000 more Iraqis are expected to enter the United States in 2011- adding to the 50,000 refugees who have come here since the start of the Iraq war.

The refugee program needs serious reform, he said. "This may be the largest or close to the largest national group that we bring to the United States every year, and I wonder whether that's the smartest choice."

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., expressed similar concern over the case. "What I want to know is, how the heck did he get into our country?" he asked during a news conference. "Was someone asleep at the switch here? Did someone approve this guy for political asylum even though he'd been in prison as an insurgent?" Paul said he hopes to hold a congressional hearing on the matter.

"Rarely do you get that much evidence," Frank Cilluffo, director of a homeland security studies program at George Washington University, told the Associated Press, referring to the fingerprints. "It's that much more trouble that it wasn't caught."

According to court documents, when an FBI source stepped in to investigate Alwan in 2009, the Iraqi national said he had used "hundreds" of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while in Iraq. Alwan specifically discussed planting an IED on the side of a road frequented by American vehicles. In 2006, Alwan was captured by Iraqi authorities and later released.

Upon the FBI informant's request, Alwan loaded trucks with Stinger missiles, rocket propelled grenade launchers, machine guns and cash. Alwan believed that those materials were intended for al-Qaida in Iraq and other Iraqi militants. He even recruited another Iraqi national from Bowling Green, Mohanad Hammadi, to help load the trucks.

Hammadi has also been indicted on material support charges.

Pakistan Sends U.S. Military Trainers Home

Pakistan confirmed Tuesday that it has downsized U.S. military personnel helping train its forces to fight against Islamist militants in tribal areas, the Associated Press reports.

"We have reassessed our requirements and sent 90 people home," a senior Pakistani military official said. Before the announcement, an estimated 125 trainers were working in the country - which means that two-thirds of U.S. trainers in Pakistan have left.

Pakistan intends to force further reductions.

"Where essential elements are required we are keeping them. In very critical areas of maintenance and technical capability, where we do not have the qualified people, then we are keeping them," the Pakistani official said. "But otherwise they are being asked to leave."

The Americans sent home had been working with a Pakistani paramilitary force known as the Frontier Corps, which is Pakistan's front line against militants in the country's tribal areas along the Afghan border. They were teaching the Pakistanis how to train their own personnel.

The United States also confirmed that it is reducing the number of its military personnel in Pakistan.

Since the United States acted unilaterally in a raid which killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on May 2, Pakistan has cut off communication with its CIA contacts and voiced its disapproval with the U.S. action, claiming that the operation violated its sovereignty.

In what seemed to be a positive step forward, the two countries announced last week the formation of a joint counterterrorism team to take out high value terrorist targets. The Pakistani military's announcement that it has sent U.S. personnel home indicates that joint counterterrorism force might be nominal.

The bin Laden raid isn't the only factor placing strain on U.S.-Pakistani relations this year.

Even before bin Laden's death, in January 2010, a CIA contractor shot and killed two Pakistani men he claimed attempted to rob him in Lahore. Raymond Davis was later acquitted by a Pakistani court after the families of the killed men were allegedly awarded 'blood money.' U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, which have sometimes inadvertently killed civilians, have also been a continual source of conflict between the two countries.

Last week, a key witness in a Chicago terrorism trial linked Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Pakistan has since denied any ISI involvement in the attacks.

Kashmiri Plotted to Avenge bin Laden's Death with Bombings, Poison

Less than a week before he was reported killed by a drone strike, top al-Qaida commander Ilyas Kashmiri was said to have been plotting to create a special death squad to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.

Pakistan's Express-News newspaper reported Monday that Kashmiri called a meeting of jihadist commanders last week to create "Lashkar-e-Osama," which would carry out suicide bombings throughout Pakistan. Members of the group planned attacks against diplomats and embassies in Pakistan, with targets including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and China.

The newspaper also reported that Kashmiri and his associates planned to target the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad with explosives. They sought to acquire large amounts of poison, apparently to contaminate food supplies bound for NATO troops in Afghanistan. The plot involved kidnapping drivers of NATO supply trucks passing through Pakistan and mixing poison into food.

The jihadists also planned strikes against Pakistani security officials and the country's top ammunition production facility. Other possible targets reportedly included visiting Chinese dignitaries, oil terminals and naval bases throughout Pakistan, the port of Karachi and the Karachi airport.

The plotters discussed using auto rickshaws carrying explosives as one means of carrying out the attacks.

U.S. and Pakistani officials have disagreed as to whether Kashmiri is actually dead. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he could confirm "100 percent" that Kashmiri died June 3 when a Predator drone fired three missiles into a house in South Waziristan. By contrast, a U.S. official, noting that earlier reports of Kashmiri's death have proven false, said Washington is operating on the assumption that he is still alive.

Read more about Kashmiri here and here.

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