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| Navy Officials Testify In Ex-Sailor's Terrorism Case |
| 2008-02-29 |
| Prosecutors at the federal trial of a former sailor on terrorism charges tried to show Thursday that a stop by his ship in Hawaii matched details of ship movements that he allegedly leaked to terrorism supporters. Hassan Abu-jihaad, 32, of Phoenix, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he provided material support to terrorists and disclosed classified national defense information. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison. Abu-jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, is accused of leaking information that could have doomed his own ship. He was a Navy signalman and received an honorable discharge in 2002. He is accused of passing along details that included the makeup of his Navy battle group, its planned movements and a drawing of the group's formation when it was to pass through the Straits of Hormuz on April 29, 2001. Files found on a disc recovered by authorities from an alleged terror supporter's home also included the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities, and ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony. Navy officials testified that, as a signalman, Abu-jihaad would have had access to details of ship movements. Adam Conaway, a Navy quartermaster, testified Thursday that Abu-jihaad's ship, the destroyer USS Benfold, stopped in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for ammunition March 20, 2001. The leaked documents recovered by authorities indicated that some ships would load Tomahawk missiles on that date. On cross-examination, Abu-jihaad's attorneys pointed out that the leaked document referred only to some ships and did not specifically mention the USS Benfold. Prosecutors rebutted that by having Conaway confirm that the Benfold was the only ship from the battle group that stopped in Hawaii that day. Conaway also highlighted the dangers the battle group faced going through the Strait of Hormuz, a busy narrow Persian Gulf waterway where U.S. ships were frequently challenged by Iranian officials. He said sailors were in a heightened state of readiness, manning machine guns and closing hatches in case the ship was damaged. Before the ships entered the strait, a team prepared to defend the ship conducted a drill, he said. Passing through the strait posed a "significant" risk to the ships, Scott Graham, a Navy commander, testified. He said leaking details of the ship movements would "cause great concern" and might have led to an even higher alert. Dennis Amador, a quartermaster and Abu-jihaad's supervisor on the Benfold, testified that keeping ship movements confidential is so important that he uses code even to tell his wife where he is. "We in the Navy are taught from the minute we come in that loose lips sink ships," he said. He testified that during his time on the Benfold, Abu-jihaad showed him a brutal, graphic video of Chechen rebels attacking Russians. Earlier in the trial, prosecutors showed videos depicting violent jihad that they say Abu-jihaad ordered from websites run by terrorism supporters. "He seemed to be fascinated with the Chechen conflict and seemed to be supportive of the Chechen rebels," Amador said. The defense, meanwhile, continued to press a point raised Wednesday, saying some ships from the battle group passed through the Strait of Hormuz on May 2, 2001, and others on May 3. The leaked documents indicated they would pass through the strait on April 29. A retired admiral testified Wednesday that the plan did call for passing into another area on April 29 that is sometimes confused with the Strait of Hormuz. In testimony Thursday, Navy Lt. Commander Jay Wylie, who served on the USS Benfold with Abu-jihaad, agreed with a question by a defense attorney that the battle group document was "riddled" with inaccuracies. He said his initial impression was that details about the ship listed in the document came from a publication available to the public, but also said that publication would not predict ship movements. Prosecutors acknowledge that they don't have direct proof that Abu-jihaad leaked details of ship movements, but cite e-mails he exchanged with the suspected terrorism supporters. Abu-jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running websites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles for terrorists. Ahmad is to be extradited to the U.S. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 I recommend keelhauling. On an aircraft carrier. Underway. At max speed. On a carrier that has been out of the yard for a long time, so the hull is covered with barnacles. Too bad keelraking (hauling from fore to aft) isn't a practical idea on modern ships with screws. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-02-29 16:17 |
| #2 What are you going on about RJ? Here is an email from Abu-jihaad to Babar Ahmad: A Profile In Terror, Behind A Keyboard It says the group would be in the strait under a communications blackout on the night of April 29, 2001, and it contains a drawing of the group's anticipated formation. The document said, in part:
Hang the traitor from the Benfold's yardarm. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-02-29 14:23 |
| #1 At first glance this has all the marks of a "Witch Hunt". Accuse someone and refuse to listen to anything that says "NO'. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-29 12:23 |