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| Toledo-Area Men Arrested for Terrorist Activity |
| 2006-02-21 |
| A federal grand jury has indicted three Toledo-area men for terrorist activities. Prosecutors say the three conspired to wage a "holy war" against the United States and coalition forces in the Middle East. The indictment was unsealed Monday. The U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is expected to release more details at a news conference this afternoon in Washington D.C. According to the indictment from the US Attorney's office, the suspects are Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim Mazloum. The indictment says all three were living in the Toledo area. Amawi is a citizen of the US and also a citizen of Jordan. El-Hindi is a naturalized American citizen who was born in Jordan. Mazloum is a legal permanent resident of the US, who came here from Lebanon. Mazloum also operated a car business in Toledo with his brother. The indictment accuses him of offering to use his dealership as a cover for traveling to and from Iraq so that he could learn how to build small explosives using household materials. The indictment also names an unindicted co-conspiratory called "The Trainer," who has U.S. military backround in security, and bodyguard training. In count 1 of the indictment, prosecutors say the three met together many times, going back as far as November 2004. The three reportedly conspired to recruit and train others for a violent jihad against United States forces and US allies in Iraq. They also reportedly put together the funding needed for the operation, and collected the equipment needed, and even travelled together to a local indoor shooting range for target practice. Prosecutors also say the three communicated by computer with an individual in the Middle East, passing information about potential attacks and terrorist training materials back and forth, as well as communication about potential weapons and targets. The indictment did not say if any attacks were imminent. Two of the men discussed plans to practice setting off explosives on July 4, 2005, so that the bombs would not be noticed, the indictment alleges. It's not clear if the suspects went through with those plans. In count 2, the grand jury found that the three had similar plans to kill US citizens abroad in addition to service members. The last three counts in the indictment dealt specifically with Mohammad Zaki Amawi. One count said Amawi distributed information on bomb-making, which in itself is a federal crime. Prosecutors also said he verbally threatened President George W. Bush, and filed two counts for that. Those crimes are separate from the conspiracy. The indictment was filed with Judge James Carr in Federal Court in Toledo. The Justice Department says Amawi is being held at a jail in Cleveland, and will be arraigned in Cleveland some time this afternoon. El-Hindi and Mazloum are being held in a jail in Toledo. They are expected in Toledo's Federal Court this afternoon. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #8 KILLEM', DEAD,NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Posted by: ARMYGUY 2006-02-21 13:55 |
| #7 And they are Muslims, wow now is that a big surprise or what? Shaking head. |
| Posted by: Unolung Slineck1093 2006-02-21 23:03 |
| #6 FOX NEWS, includ O'REILLY, report that there are allegations the men planned to assassinate Dubya and First Lady Babs Bush during their trip to Toledo back in 2004. Their preferred scheme was to allegedly ram the Bush motorcades? vv suicide car bombing, but was even discarded due to high security!? Apparently these "desert samurai" and future "Lions of God" must've decided to let the wimin and teenagers do it. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-02-21 22:13 |
| #5 Damn that illegal NSA surveilance program! Impeach Bush now!! /sarcasm |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-02-21 19:17 |
| #4 A car dealership is also a good way to launder funds, order materials, etc. Met a European in West Africa who was an arms dealer. His legitimate (and profitable) business was, when one thought about it, a very good cover for his other and more lucrative dealings. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-02-21 18:50 |
| #3 A car dealer? What a cover to provide vehicles for car bombs...now find the local internet cafe that is always involved. They seem to be present on even the remotest of beaches, or wherever illegal deals and smuggling is going on. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2006-02-21 17:18 |
| #2 Fox News: The indictment also notes that a fourth person, referred to as "the trainer," was a U.S. citizen but was not named as a conspirator. One official told FOX News that law enforcement was tipped to the activities of these three men by this informant, who is an ex-U.S. military man who fought overseas and was living in Toledo. He is described as "a respected member of the Muslim community" who came forward and gave information to the authorities. "The trainer" has a U.S. military background and in 2002 was solicited by El-Hindi to assist in providing security and bodyguard training, among other things. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-02-21 15:23 |
#1
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| Posted by: ARMYGUY 2006-02-21 13:55 |