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| Fifth Column |
| VA LeT cell leader pleads guilty |
| 2004-01-17 |
| A key member of an alleged Virginia jihad network pleaded guilty to federal weapons and explosives charges yesterday, denying that he intended to harm Americans but acknowledging that he and his co-defendants had sought to fight on behalf of Muslim causes abroad. Randall T. Royer, 30, of Falls Church will face at least 20 years in prison when he is sentenced April 9. A co-defendant, Ibrahim Ahmed al-Hamdi, 26, of Alexandria, also pleaded guilty to similar charges and faces at least 15 years in prison. Royer was at the heart of the government’s case against 11 men who trained for jihad by playing paintball in the Virginia countryside, prosecutors say. They have alleged that some of the attacks were to target the United States or its interests. A St. Louis native who became an activist for Muslim causes, Royer has acknowledged playing a key role in organizing the men, all but one of whom are from the Washington suburbs. But until his surprise appearance in U.S. District Court in Alexandria yesterday, Royer had maintained his innocence and had attributed the charges to government bias against Muslims. He also scoffed at the main charge against him, according to phone transcripts presented in court, as "some kind of garbage." The guilty pleas were another milestone in the high-profile case that the Justice Department had publicized as an important step in the war on terrorism. A federal grand jury originally charged the 11 men in June with weapons counts and with training with Lashkar-i-Taiba, a group that is trying to drive India from Kashmir and has been labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Four of the men had pleaded guilty before yesterday. "This is an important step forward in our continuing efforts to protect America," U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said in a statement released by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft. It is unclear what affect the pleas, which require Royer and al-Hamdi to cooperate with prosecutors, will have on the five remaining defendants. Four are scheduled to go on trial in February; a fifth faces trial in March. The other four men who pleaded guilty are also cooperating with authorities. Attorneys for the other defendants denied that Royer’s plea will hurt their cases. "Much of what Mr. Royer said would be beneficial to Mr. Khan," said Bernie Grimm, attorney for Masoud Ahmad Khan, who, like Royer, was charged in an upgraded indictment in September with conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda and to the former Taliban rulers of Afghanistan. Grimm said it was significant that the government had dropped those counts against Royer. "If the government honestly believed there was a connection there, the government wouldn’t let Mr. Royer off so easy," he said. John A. Keats, an attorney for defendant Sabri Benkahla, said: "It’s not going to impact on us." Royer’s plea came as a surprise even to his family. Sources said the agreement followed months of negotiations with prosecutors but was finalized at the last minute and was not even listed on the court’s docket. "That’s news to me," his father, Ramon Royer, said in a telephone interview. "It’s a technical thing," Ramon Royer added. "He had so many indictments against him, I suspect he did this in order to not get 120 years or whatever it was. That’s really what’s it all about, I’m sure." In an interview from his jail cell yesterday, Royer said: "I feel this is the right thing to do for myself, and all of us, and for the community." He said he had "unknowingly violated the law" because Lashkar was not on the list of banned terrorist organizations when he was associated with the organization. Royer would not elaborate on his reasons for pleading guilty. But sources close to his defense team said that, because he had acknowledged helping Lashkar-i-Taiba, Royer faced likely conviction on those charges. With the accompanying weapons counts, he could have been sentenced to life in prison. "This is a good result," Royer’s attorney, John Nassikas, said. "When you put it all together, he was looking at several hundred years in jail. Now, there is an opportunity for him in the not-too-distant future to rejoin his family." Royer said he took "full responsibility" for his actions as he entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. He pleaded guilty to one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and to carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony. Al-Hamdi pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and to carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony. Nassikas told the judge that Royer admits that an object of the conspiracy was to fight against India in violation of U.S. law. But he denied the contention of prosecutors, and at least one other defendant, that the men might have taken up arms against the United States or American soldiers. Binny’s declaration of war, of which the LeT is a party to, says otherwise. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 you think cbs will follow up it's ed bradley picking on the poor african american muslim guy apologist piece it ran on 60 minutes indicating that going after these guys was ashcroft wot overkill--huh huh |
| Posted by: SON OF TOLUI 2004-1-17 11:41:55 PM |
| #1 huh, long article, but somehow didn't mention he worked at CAIR as a communications specialist and civil rights coordinator. Go figure |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-1-17 11:49:40 AM |