FOX CT : In A Reversal, Terror Suspects Agree To Plead Guilty

In A Reversal, Terror Suspects Agree To Plead Guilty

By EDMUND H. MAHONY | emahony@courant.com | The Hartford Courant | December 5, 2013

NEW HAVEN -— Two British nationals have agreed to plead guilty next week to terror-related charges accusing them of developing a ground-breaking Internet network to raise money, recruits and equipment for groups waging holy war in the Middle East.

The decisions to admit guilt by Babar Ahmad, 38, and Syed Talha Ahsan, 34, both of London, appear to end a decade-long legal fight by the two. They challenged extradition to the U.S., first in the British courts and later in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that long sentences in high-security U.S. prisons would violate their human rights.

Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of operating a groundbreaking network of Internet sites known as Azzam publications that attracted sympathizers and support to the jihadist cause from around the world. Terror experts said the operators of the Azzam sites had direct access to leaders of the Chechen mujahedeen, the Taliban in Afghanistan and associated groups, and used it to support radical holy warriors.

Among other things, U.S. and British authorities found a document describing the classified movements of a U.S. Navy battle group operating in the Middle East during a search of Ahmad's home in London in 2003.

Ahmad and Ahsan are being prosecuted in the U.S. and, in particular, Connecticut, because of the role U.S. authorities played in closing the Azzam network and because the computer network's electronic communications passed through a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

They were extradited to the U.S. a year ago, with three other men suspected of terror plots in the U.S. or targeting U.S. citizens abroad,

Ahmad and Ahsan faced life sentences if convicted after a trial. In their agreements with federal prosecutors, the two agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. The charges carry maximum sentences of 15 years.

Indictments in the case accuse the two, through their network of Azzam websites, of promoting violent jihad and distributing jihadi training manuals, interviews with al-Qaida and Chechen leaders and martyrdom videos of fallen jihadists.

Azzam also raised money through the sale of violent video recordings, filmed by jihadists, of battle scenes and the executions of Russian prisoners in Chechnya, formerly part of the Soviet Union.

Ahmad and Ahsan are accused of providing, directly or through the Azzam network, military equipment, communications equipment, lodging, training, safe houses, transportation, false identity documents and other supplies to terrorists and their recruits.

The Azzam network previously was a subject of a federal terror trial in New Haven in 2008, in a case that resulted in the conviction of Hassan Abu-jihaad, a Californian and convert to Islam. While serving as a signalman in the U.S. Navy, Abu-jihaad transmitted to Azzam the anticipated movements of U.S. warships as they moved through the 21-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz in 2001.

Abu-jihaad, drawn to Azzam through its bloody battlefield videos, was convicted of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing national defense information. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

A government terror expert who testified against Abu-jihaad said that Azzam was the premier jihadist site on the Internet while it operated.

"The reason the website was so credible was that it had real access," said Evan Kohlmann, a terror consultant who has worked with the U.S. government. "It wasn't just reprocessing material that it had gotten elsewhere. It was generating original jihadist content and it was incredibly powerful material."

Ahmad and Ahsan, computer engineers in London before their arrests, are accused of working on the Azzam network from about 1997 until authorities closed it in 2004. Before that, Ahmad fought with Islamist forces in Bosnia.

Tens of thousands of Britons joined their fight against extradition to the U.S. The men and their supporters believe that the two should be tried in the United Kingdom because that is where they are accused of committing offenses.

Copyright © 2013, The Hartford Courant

KTAR : UK terror suspect wins payout for police beating

UK terror suspect wins payout for police beating

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER | Associated Press | March 18th, 2009

LONDON (AP) - A British terror suspect fighting extradition to the United States was awarded thousands of pounds (dollars) in compensation Wednesday for being assaulted by police during his 2003 arrest.

Computer specialist Babar Ahmad, 34, will receive 60,000 pounds (more than $80,000) in damages after lawyers for Scotland Yard acknowledged that he was subject to gratuitous violence and religious abuse by officers who burst into his southwest London home in a dawn raid on Dec. 2, 2003.

The police admitted that officers repeatedly attacked Ahmad even though he offered no resistance, putting him in a neckhold, wrenching him around by his handcuffs and pulling his testicles.

At one point officers forced him into a Muslim praying position, and one screamed: "Where is your God now?" according to Phillippa Kaufmann, Ahmad's lawyer.

She said the assault continued in a police van as Ahmad was driven to a central London police station.

"You'll remember this day for the rest of your life, do you understand me, you (expletive) bastard?" one officer told him, according to Kaufmann.

Ahmad was released without charge but was re-arrested in August 2004 on a U.S. extradition warrant. He remains in custody.

American officials accused the Pakistani native of running Web sites to raise money for the Taliban, appealing for fighters and providing equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles to terrorists.

Ahmad was also a key figure in the trial of a former U.S. sailor accused of revealing classified information about the movement of Navy vessels and their vulnerability to attack.

Prosecutors had accused Hassan Abu-Jihaad of Phoenix of communicating with Ahmad while on active duty on a U.S. destroyer in 2000 and 2001.

Abu-Jihaad allegedly discussed naval military briefings and praised those who attacked the USS Cole off Yemen in 2000. Officials said a search of Ahmad's computers showed files containing classified information about the positions of Navy ships and discussing their vulnerability to attack.

Abu-Jihaad denied the charges. He was convicted by a Connecticut jury of leaking secret information and providing material support to terrorists in March 2008, but a federal judge overturned the terror conviction this month.

Ahmad's extradition was approved by British officials in November 2005 but he is still battling the move.

Relatives released a statement on Babar Ahmad's behalf saying he was pleased with the judgment.

"I can now put this incident behind me and focus on the fight to prevent my extradition to the United States," the statement said.

(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Examiner : Former reporter testifies in Phoenix sailor's terrorism trial

Former reporter testifies in Phoenix sailor's terrorism trial

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | March 3, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The attorney for a former Navy sailor tried to show Monday that many details of ship movements he is accused of leaking to suspected terrorism supporters were publicly available through news reports, press releases and Web sites.

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.

Prosecutors rested their case Friday. Abu-Jihaad does not plan to take the stand.

Abu-Jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, is accused of leaking information that could have endangered his own ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, and other ships. He was a Navy signalman and was honorably discharged 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 Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on April 29, 2001.

The only witness his attorney plans to call is Molly Knight Raskin, a former reporter hired to do research.

She testified Monday about an article in a San Diego newspaper that detailed the departure of Abu-Jihaad's battle group and listed ships that would be deploying. The paper also had a column called "Standing the Watch" that allowed readers to follow a battle group's movements.

On cross-examination, Knight Raskin said the column included only a ship's present location, not its future movements, and was at one point discontinued due to security concerns.

She testified that she found several other Web sites and articles indicating that the battle group would deploy March 15, 2001. A press release from the Canadian military indicated that one of its ships would participate in the deployment and would leave that day.

Prosecutors acknowledge they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements, but they cite e-mails he exchanged with the suspected terrorism supporters.

Navy officials have testified that, as a signalman, Abu-Jihaad would have had access to details of ship movements.

Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from a suspected terrorism supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities. The file ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony.

Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Prosecutors rest case against sailor after playing taped calls

Prosecutors rest case against sailor after playing taped calls

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 29, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Federal prosecutors played for jurors secretly taped phone conversations Friday in an effort to show that a former Navy sailor charged with leaking ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters used coded speech to discuss intelligence related to military bases.

In the calls, Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, of Phoenix, speaks of "fresh meals" and "cold meals" in conversations with associates. A "fresh meal" referred to useful information, while "cold meal" was code for outdated intelligence, prosecutors said.

Abu-Jihaad 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.

Prosecutors rested their case Friday. Defense attorneys do not plan to call Abu-Jihaad to the stand and say they will rest their case after calling one witness Monday.

Abu-Jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, is accused of leaking information that could have endangered his own ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, and other ships. 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.

William Chrisman, an FBI informant, testified that the calls were references to intelligence related to military bases.

"I ain't been working in the field of making meals in a long time," Abu-Jihaad said in a 2006 call played in court Friday. "I've been out of that quatro years."

Authorities said the call was an admission that Abu-Jihaad provided information to terrorists while in the Navy four years earlier.

Chrisman also said Abu-Jihaad referred to jihad as "j" or "7," referring to the highest level of heaven for those killed on the battlefield; and "MO" for martyrdom operation.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kravitz cautioned the jury that Abu-Jihaad was not charged with anything connected to the conversations. Prosecutors hoped to boost their case by showing what they say are Abu-Jihaad's secretive ways.

Under cross-examination, Chrisman testified that Abu-Jihaad never admitted sending classified ship details through the Straits of Hormuz, a busy narrow Persian Gulf waterway where U.S. ships were frequently challenged by Iranian officials.

Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from an alleged terror supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities. The file ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony.

Navy officials have testified that, as a signalman, Abu-Jihaad would have had access to details of 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.

Prosecutors ended their case after calling an investigator who plotted out the rough location of Abu-Jihaad's ship as he exchanged the e-mails with the suspects.

Abu-Jihaad's attorneys made a standard request to dismiss the charges, saying the details that were allegedly leaked were so inaccurate they could not involve classified information. Prosecutors disagreed, while Kravitz did not make a ruling.

Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Prosecutors say taped calls support terrorism charge

Prosecutors say taped calls support terrorism charge

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 29, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Federal prosecutors played for jurors secretly taped phone conversations Friday in an effort to show that a former Navy sailor charged with terrorism used coded speech while discussing military secrets.

In the calls, Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, of Phoenix, speaks of "hot meals" and "cold meals" in conversations with associates. A "hot meal" referred to useful information, while "cold meal" was code for outdated intelligence, prosecutors said.

Abu-Jihaad 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.

Prosecutors rested their case Friday. Defense attorneys do not plan to call Abu-Jihaad to the stand and say they will rest their case after calling one witness on Monday.

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, the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold. 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.

William Chrisman, an FBI informant, testified that the calls were references to intelligence that would be useful to strike American military targets.

"I ain't been working in the field of making meals for a long time," Abu-Jihaad said in a 2006 call played in court Friday. "I've been out of that quatro years."

Authorities said the call was an admission that Abu-Jihaad provided information to terrorists while in the Navy.

Under cross-examination, Chrisman testified that Abu-Jihaad never admitted sending classified information, including the details of his ship's movements through the Straits of Hormuz, a busy narrow Persian Gulf waterway where U.S. ships were frequently challenged by Iranian officials.

Prosecutors say they discovered files on a computer disk recovered from an alleged terror supporter's home that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities. The file ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony.

Navy officials have testified that, as a signalman, Abu-Jihaad would have had access to details of 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 Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Prosecutors: Documents Matched Ship Path

Prosecutors: Documents Matched Ship Path

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 28, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Prosecutors at the federal trial of a former sailor accused of supplying information that could have doomed his ship tried to show Thursday that a stop by his vessel in Hawaii matched details in leaked documents.

Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, an American-born Muslim convert, 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.

Dennis Amador, a quartermaster and Abu-Jihaad's supervisor on the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, testified Thursday 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.

Abu-Jihaad 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 computer disk recovered by authorities from the home of an alleged terrorism supporter, Babar Ahmad, 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.

Prosecutors acknowledge they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements, but cite e-mails he exchanged with suspected terrorism supporters, including Ahmad.

Adam Conaway, a Navy quartermaster, testified that Abu-Jihaad's ship stopped in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for ammunition on March 20, 2001. One of 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 Benfold. Prosecutors rebutted that by asking Conaway to confirm that the Benfold was the only ship from the battle group that stopped in Hawaii that day.

In testimony Thursday, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jay Wylie, who served on the 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.

Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider. Formerly known as Paul R. Hall, the Navy signalman received an honorable discharge in 2002.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Top Official Testifies in Navy Case

Top Official Testifies in Navy Case

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 27, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Navy would have immediately changed plans had it known that details of ship movements had been leaked to suspected terrorism supporters, a former top Navy official testified Wednesday at the trial of a former sailor on terrorism charges.

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 as many as 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 leaking 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 computer disk recovered by authorities from a suspected terrorism 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.

Retired Rear Adm. David Hart Jr., who was involved in planning the deployment of the battle group and was the commander, testified Wednesday that he would have immediately alerted his supervisor in 2001 had he known that a battle group document was in the hands of suspected terrorism supporters. He said he would have sought an opportunity to change the time and nature of the operation.

"It was a very vulnerable period of time for us," Hart said. He noted earlier that naval officials had taken steps to protect sailors after 17 of them were killed in the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Hart also said that sailors were typically in a heightened state of readiness through Strait of Hormuz, a busy, narrow Persian Gulf waterway where they are frequently challenged by Iranian officials.

Hart confirmed that the information Abu-Jihaad is accused of leaking was sensitive and classified.

But on cross-examination, Abu-Jihaad's attorney, Dan Labelle, said the Navy wasn't shy about letting the world know when it was deploying ships to the Persian Gulf because it wanted to project strength and deter a crisis.

"I think that's fair to say," Hart responded.

Hart testified that some other information in the leaked documents was incorrect, including a claim related to the vulnerability to a small craft attack. But he said he was still concerned because even if the allegedly leaked details were not precisely accurate, they would have given away the key tactical element of surprise.

Defense attorneys introduced a ship log indicating that the battle group passed through the Strait of Hormuz on May 2, 2001, not April 29. But Hart testified that the plan did call for passing on April 29 into an area sometimes confused with the Strait of Hormuz.

The documents indicated that ships would pass through the strait in a dual formation, which did not happen, Hart said. He also called a diagram that showed a submarine on each side of the ships "tactically unfeasible."

Prosecutors noted that a title on the document appeared on only one column of the ships, suggesting a single formation.

Prosecutors also acknowledge that they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements. But they introduced e-mails he exchanged with a Web site operated by suspected terrorism supporters.

Prosecutors also introduced a document showing Abu-Jihaad had a secret security clearance, saying that could have given him access to the ship movements.

He was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Navy says documents allegedly leaked by Phoenix sailor dangerous

Navy says documents allegedly leaked by Phoenix sailor dangerous

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 27, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Navy would have immediately changed plans had it known that details of ship movements had been leaked to suspected terrorism supporters, a retired top Navy official testified Wednesday at the trial of a former sailor on terrorism charges.

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 computer disk 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.

Retired Rear Adm. David Hart Jr., who was involved in planning the development of the battle group and was the commander, testified Wednesday that he would have immediately alerted his supervisor in 2001 had he known that a battle group document was in the hands of suspected terrorism supporters. He said he would have sought an opportunity to change the time and nature of the operation.

"It was a very vulnerable period of time for us," Hart said. He noted earlier that naval officials had taken steps to protect sailors after 17 sailors were killed in the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Hart also said that sailors were typically in a heightened state of readiness through Strait of Hormuz, a busy narrow Persian Gulf waterway where they are frequently challenged by Iranian officials.

Hart confirmed that the information Abu-Jihaad is accused of leaking was sensitive and classified.

But on cross-examination, Abu-Jihaad's attorney, Dan Labelle, said the Navy wasn't shy about letting the world know when it was deploying ships to the Persian Gulf because it wanted to project strength and deter a crisis.

"I think that's fair to say," Hart responded.

Hart testified that some information in the leaked documents was incorrect, including a claim related to the vulnerability to a small craft attack. But Hart testified that he was still concerned because even if the allegedly leaked details were not precisely accurate, they would have given away the key tactical element of surprise.

Referring to ship movements, Hart said, "That could be an important piece of information."

Defense attorneys introduced a ship log indicating that the battle group passed through the Strait of Hormuz on May 2, 2001, not April 29. But Hart also testified that the plan did call for passing into another area on April 29 that is sometimes confused with the Strait of Hormuz.

The documents indicated that ships would pass through the strait in a dual formation, which did not happen, Hart said. He also called a diagram that showed a submarine on each side of the ships "tactically unfeasible."

Prosecutors noted that a title on the document appeared only on one column of the ships, suggesting a single formation.

Prosecutors acknowledge that they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements. But they introduced e-mails he exchanged with a Web site operated by suspected terrorism supporters.

Prosecutors also introduced a document showing Abu-Jihaad had a secret security clearance, saying that could have given him access to the ship movements.

He was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Prosecutors in ex-sailor's terror case play violent videos

Prosecutors in ex-sailor's terror case play violent videos

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 26, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Prosecutors played videos promoting violent jihad Tuesday at the trial of a former sailor accused of communicating with suspected terrorists and leaking information that could have doomed his own Navy ship.

Prosecutors allege that Hassan Abu-Jihaad ordered the videos from a Web site allegedly run by terrorism supporters. His attorneys have said in court papers that they don't dispute that he was in contact with the Web site that sold the videos, but that pictures and videos don't prove he passed along classified information.

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.

On Tuesday, prosecutors showed e-mails from 2000 and 2001 in which Abu-Jihaad ordered violent videos from Azzam Publications. They say he later destroyed his copies of the videos after news reports about the case.

The videos, filled with explosions, flames and dead bodies, feature Muslim fighters in Chechnya and Bosnia. In one segment played in court Tuesday, a group of fighters in Chechnya find an injured Russian soldier, then force him to stand despite his injuries. They eventually kill him with an assault rifle.

Prosecutors say the videos, which also showed Osama bin Laden, are important evidence because they must prove not only that Abu-Jihaad leaked the ship details but intended to kill Americans by sending the information to those who promoted terrorism. They say the videos depict martyrdom, explaining why Abu-Jihaad would allow his own ship to be targeted.

Abu-Jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, was a Navy signalman and received an honorable discharge in 2002. Prosecutors offered evidence Tuesday that he changed his name to Abu-Jihaad in 1997.

Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

On Monday, the first day of the trial, British investigators described how they found details about the vulnerability of Abu-Jihaad's Navy battle group in the London home of Ahmad's parents, where Ahmad had a room.

Prosecutors acknowledge they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements. Craig Bowling, a computer expert with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, testified Tuesday that e-mail service providers regularly purge their accounts and he cited evidence that a computer program that wipes out information was applied to a floppy disc containing the information about the ships and other files.

Bowling also testified that investigators obtained some of Abu-Jihaad's e-mails only because they turned up in the text of replies from the Web site.

On cross-examination, Bowling said some information about the formation of the ships and their arrival in the Middle East was inaccurate. But prosecutors noted that the document was predicting a date of arrival.

Abu-Jihaad sent e-mails related to the videos to the Web site around the same time the document indicated the Navy ships were deploying in the spring of 2001, Bowling testified.

His last e-mail to Azzam was sent a little over a week before the Sept 11 attacks, Bowling testified. Abu-Jihaad said foreigners who try to convert Muslims in Afghanistan should be punished by death, according to an e-mail introduced in court.

According to an FBI affidavit, Abu-Jihaad exchanged e-mails with Ahmad in 2000 and 2001 while on active duty on the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer that was part of the battle group formation.

In an e-mail sent to Azzam Publications and presented Tuesday in court, Abu-Jihaad called the attack on the USS Cole a "martyrdom operation" and praised "the men who have brong (sic) honor ... in the lands of jihad Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, etc."

He signed the e-mail: "A brother serving a kuffar nation." Bowling defined kuffar as nonbeliever or infidel.

Prosecutors hope to bolster the case by playing intercepted phone calls to show what they say is Abu-Jihaad's coded speech and obsession with security. Abu-Jihaad's attorneys say the statements are irrelevant and the government's case is weak.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Feds: Ex-Sailor Ordered Violent Videos

Feds: Ex-Sailor Ordered Violent Videos

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 26, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Prosecutors played videos promoting violent jihad Tuesday at the trial of a former sailor accused of communicating with suspected terrorists and leaking information that could have doomed his own Navy ship.

Prosecutors allege that Hassan Abu-Jihaad ordered the videos. His attorneys have said in court papers that they don't dispute that he was in contact with the company that sold the videos, but that pictures and videos don't prove he passed classified information.

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.

On Tuesday, prosecutors showed e-mails from 2000 and 2001 in which Abu-Jihaad ordered violent videos from Azzam Publications. They say he later destroyed his copies of the videos after news reports about the case.

The videos, filled with explosions, flames and dead bodies, feature Muslim fighters in Chechnya and Bosnia. In one segment played in court Tuesday, a group of fighters in Chechnya find an injured Russian soldier, then force him to stand despite his injuries. They eventually kill him with an assault rifle.

Prosecutors say the videos are important evidence because they must prove not only that Abu-Jihaad leaked the ship details but intended to kill Americans by sending the information to those who promoted terrorism. They say the videos depict martyrdom, explaining why Abu-Jihaad would allow his own ship to be targeted.

Abu-Jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, was a Navy signalman and received an honorable discharge in 2002. Prosecutors offered evidence Tuesday that he changed his name to Abu-Jihaad in 1997.

Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites 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.

Abu-Jihaad is being prosecuted in New Haven because the federal investigation first focused on a Connecticut-based Internet service provider.

On Monday, the first day of the trial, British investigators described how they found details about the vulnerability of Abu-Jihaad's Navy battle group in the London home of Ahmad's parents, where Ahmad had a room.

Prosecutors acknowledge they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements.

Craig Bowling, a computer expert with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, testified Tuesday that e-mail service providers regularly purge their accounts. He also said there was evidence that a computer program that wipes out information was applied to a floppy disc containing the information about the ships and other files.

According to an FBI affidavit, Abu-Jihaad exchanged e-mails with Ahmad in 2000 and 2001 while on active duty on the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer that was part of the battle group formation. In those e-mails, Abu-Jihaad discussed naval briefings and praised Osama bin Laden and those who attacked the USS Cole in 2000, investigators say.

In an e-mail sent to Azzam Publications and presented Tuesday in court, Abu-Jihaad called the attack on the USS Cole a "martyrdom operation" and praised "the men who have brong (sic) honor ... in the lands of jihad Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, etc."

He signed the e-mail: "A brother serving a kuffar nation." Bowling defined kuffar as nonbeliever or infidel.

Prosecutors hope to bolster the case by playing intercepted phone calls to show what they say is Abu-Jihaad's coded speech and obsession with security. Abu-Jihaad's attorneys say the statements are irrelevant and the government's case is weak.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Trial starts for terror case against ex-sailor from Phoenix

Trial starts for terror case against ex-sailor from Phoenix

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, The Associated Press | February 25, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The trial of a former Navy sailor on terrorism charges opened Monday with British investigators describing how they found details about the vulnerability of the sailor's Navy battle group in the London home of an alleged terrorism supporter.

American prosecutors allege that the sailor, Hassan Abu-Jihaad, sent those details to suspected terrorism supporters in London.

Abu-Jihaad, 32, of Phoenix, has pleaded not guilty to charges he provided material support to terrorists with intent to kill U.S. citizens and disclosed classified information relating to the national defense. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison. Abu-Jihaad's attorneys say the government's case is weak

The investigation that resulted in charges against Abu-Jihaad also led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles for terrorists. Ahmad is awaiting extradition to the U.S.

Three British investigators testified Monday that agents who searched Ahmad's parents' house, where he had a room, in 2003 found a computer floppy disk.

Computer expert Samantha Miller testified that the disk contained information on U.S. Navy ships and planned ship movements.

The information on the disk included statements such as "They have nothing to stop a small craft with RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), etc., except their SEALS' stinger missiles."

The ship details included the makeup of the 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. It also included the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities and ended with instructions to destroy the message.

Abu-Jihaad, an American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall, was a signalman before he received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 2002.

Prosecutors acknowledge they don't have direct proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements.

But Abu-Jihaad exchanged e-mails with Ahmad in 2000 and 2001 while on active duty on the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer that was part of the battle group formation, according to an FBI affidavit. In those e-mails, Abu-Jihaad discussed naval briefings and praised Osama bin Laden and those who attacked the USS Cole in 2000, investigators say.

Abu-Jihaad also purchased videos promoting violent jihad from the group. Prosecutors plan to play portions of the graphic videos.

Prosecutors say the videos and Web pages that prosecutors displayed in court help prove not only that Abu-Jihaad leaked the ship details but intended to kill Americans by sending the information to those who promoted terrorism. They say the videos depict martyrdom, explaining why Abu-Jihaad would allow his own ship to be targeted.

Prosecutors also hope to bolster the case by playing intercepted phone calls to show what they say is Abu-Jihaad's coded speech and obsession with security. Authorities said Abu-Jihaad spoke of "hot meals" and "cold meals" in conversations with associates to refer to intelligence that would be useful to strike American military targets.

Abu-Jihaad's attorneys say the statements are irrelevant. The trial is expected to last one to two weeks.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Examiner : Trial starts for terror case against ex-sailor

Trial starts for terror case against ex-sailor

The Associated Press | February 25, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A British investigator is the first person to testify in the Connecticut trial of a former Navy sailor on terrorism charges.

Prosecutors allege that Hassan Abu-Jihaad (ah-boo-GEE'-hahd) of Phoenix sent details of the location and vulnerabilities of a Navy battle group to suspected terrorism supporters in London when he was on active duty.

Abu-Jihaad is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist arrested in 2004 and accused of running Web sites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles for terrorists.

As Abu-Jihaad's trial started today, the British investigator testified that agents who searched Ahmad's parents house in 2003 found a computer floppy disk that authorities say contained details of ship movements.

Abu-Jihaad has pleaded not guilty to charges he provided material support to terrorists with intent to kill U.S. citizens. He also pleaded not guilty to charges he disclosed classified information relating to the national defense.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.