New Haven Independent : Betrayal Revealed

Betrayal Revealed

by Melissa Bailey | November 29, 2007

Sitting across the room from his former “brother” in arms, an undercover federal witness described how — in the name of Islam — he gained the trust of an ex-Navy sailor, then exposed him for allegedly supporting terrorism against Americans.

Before his appearance in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Jameel Chrisman had never sat face to face with Hassan Abu-Jihaad, the former U.S. Navy soldier [sic] accused of giving up sensitive naval information to an alleged terrorist cell.

As a pre-trial hearing against Abu-Jihaad continued to its second day Thursday before Judge Mark R. Kravitz, Chrisman took the stand a second time. Sitting diagonally across the courtroom from his former “ally,” he told the court how he tracked down and befriended Abu-Jihaad.

Recorded conversations procured through Chrisman’s undercover work are at the center of the pre-trial hearing. The purpose of this week’s hearing is for Judge Kravitz to decide whether or not to add the hours of recorded conversations as evidence in an expected trial against Abu-Jihaad. The suspect, 31, is facing up to 25 years in prison after being indicted by a grand jury on terrorism and espionage charges. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Terrorist Buster

Chrisman glanced over at Abu-Jihaad from time to time as federal prosecutors played tapes of their conversations. Chrisman wore a striped sweater and a long black skirt. Abu-Jihaad wore an orange jumpsuit.

Under cross-examination, the witness was asked his motivations for working with the FBI.

Chrisman, a New Jersey native and a Muslim, told of how he came to crisscross the nation busting suspected terrorists.

“After 9/11, all the Salaafi scholars came out with a ruling,” Chrisman said — “it is imperative for Muslims to stop terrorism.” Those who practice terrorism were “brothers of the devil.” Chrisman approached the FBI and volunteered his services.

“I never entered this for money,” said Chrisman, grilled by Abu-Jihaad’s lawyers. In the first four years of FBI cooperation, he said he earned only $1,200.

In Oct. 2006, Chrisman got [an assignment] to a new person of interest named Derrick Shareef. When he showed up at Shareef’s video store one afternoon, he had no idea how deeply — and quickly — he’d get involved in his life. Eight hours later, Shareef was moving into Chrisman’s home. Chrisman recorded every conversation they had, and his work led Shareef to be nabbed in connection to a plot to plant grenades in a local shopping mall. Shareef pleaded guilty this week in Chicago to trying to buy the grenades from an undercover FBI agent.

Meanwhile in his journey through Shareef’s life, Chrisman came across one of the young man’s friends by the name of Hassan Abu-Jihaad. Abu-Jihaad lived in Phoenix, far from Christman’s Chicago-area home. Through Shareef, the witness heard of Abu-Jihaad’s alleged troubles with the Navy; he is accused of leaking secret information about the Navy’s weakness and whereabouts to an alleged terror cell in London.

Seeking to get Abu-Jihaad to confess directly to his past, Chrisman bypassed Shareef and sought a direct relationship with the man.

Sitting just a few yards away from the prisoner Thursday, the witness told the court how he sent Abu-Jihaad Salafi books “to try to gain his trust.” In the days leading up to Shareef’s Dec. 6 arrest, Chrisman zeroed in on Abu-Jihaad with a final push to confirm terrorist activities on tape.

He tried to get Abu-Jihaad to commit to buying assault rifles for an alleged plot the three had been crafting to attack a military barracks in San Diego. Abu-Jihaad agreed to commit “financial and logistical” help, but never paid the money or took the plans to actionable specificity, according to the witness.

Abu-Jihaad didn’t send money to buy the weapons. But in a climactic conversations with Chrisman right after Shareef’s arrest, Chrisman did get Abu-Jihaad to make some admissions.

In a conversation played in court Thursday, Abu-Jihaad admits to sending emails to London-based Azzam Publications, including one about the USS Cole — apparently referring to an email that calls the attack on the USS Cole a “martyrdom operation.”

Federal prosecutors trumpet the conversation as key admission linking the sailor to the leaking of top-secret information on his Navy boat’s location. Abu-Jihaad’s attorney, Dan LaBelle, downplayed the act: Abu-Jihaad admitted he sent email about the USS Cole, but “he didn’t admit he told secrets.”

“I Ain’t No Jihaid” [sic]

Abu-Jihaad sat quietly during the proceedings, occasionally turning to whisper to his lawyers. His attorneys, LaBelle and Robert Golger, argue the statements garnered from Chrisman do not constitute co-conspiracy in a terrorist act, and should not be admitted as evidence. They pointed to places in the transcripts where Abu-Jihaad denies wrongful activity, saying “I ain’t no jihadi.”

Much of the information about Abu-Jihaad on the tapes is second-hand info from Shareef about Abu-Jihaad’s commitment to the alleged plot against the San Diego military base. LaBelle and Golger argued much of the evidence should not be considered as the case goes to trial, because it is only hearsay from a young, “live wire” hothead seeking to impress others with pro-jihad talk.

The pre-trial hearing ended Thursday afternoon. Kravitz set an oral argument for Jan. 4 and will rule in the meantime on whether the recordings from the government’s star cooperator, Chrisman, will contribute to the trial.