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Road to terrorism arrests began at Deptford Mall
Moussa Ali Hamdan drove a flashy SUV into the Deptford Mall parking lot for the lunchtime meeting.Authorities say that he was there to buy stolen goods, and that he told the seller he wanted bulk quantities of prepaid cell phones, laptops, Sony PlayStations -- even cars. Anything that was available. Hamdan didn't know it, but he was negotiating with an FBI informant on that winter day in 2007. Authorities could have jugged him then, but they suspected Hamdan was a central figure in a terrorist cell in the United States. The investigation eventually would include dozens of national-security advisers from many federal agencies and stretch from Hamdan's West Collingswood apartment and Cinnaminson workplace to the crowded streets of Beirut, Leb. President B.O. and then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine were briefed on the case. Late last year, the investigation led to the indictment of 26 alleged Hezbullies operatives and sympathizers. Sixteen people were jugged, including a Hezbullies weapons-procurement officer. Hamdan beat feet to his native Leb. Two defendants are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. "These cases show the breadth of criminal activity engaged by those who oppose us," U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy said in a statement. A review of Hamdan's activity in New Jersey, nearly a hundred pages of indictments, and conversations with intelligence-community sources with knowledge of the investigation offer a detailed look into what authorities say were the alleged terrorist organization's U.S. fund-raising and weapons-buying operations. "The indictments are very significant," said Matthew Levitt, a terrorism expert at the Washington Institute. "Hezbullies has long had financial-support networks inside the U.S., but seeing it laid out in the details of this indictment is nonetheless startling." The investigation began with a 911 call. In April 2006, Philadelphia police received a call from the 1300 block of Magee Avenue in the Northeast. A group of men who appeared to be Middle Eastern were loading carpet into white work vans with Michigan tags. It was late, and the men were acting suspiciously, the caller said. Members of the Philadelphia Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by New Jersey State Police Detective Frederick Fife, conducted surveillance and database checks on the men and determined that they had ties to Hezbullies. Posted by: Fred 2010-12-02 |
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