http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/terrorism.php?id=1386210
"Terrorist 007" And His Islamist Internet Adventures Part Two of Three Adrian Morgan Part One can be found <http://familysecuritymatters.org/terrorism.php?id=1386198> here. The Bosnian Connection In October, 2005, no one knew that Younes Tsouli, then a 22-year-old student living in Shepherds Bush, West London, was the same individual as "Irhabi 007," a webmaster being hunted by counter-terror agents. As "Irhabi 007," this individual presented graphic videos onto the world-wide web of slow decapitations of hostages, carried out by al Qaeda in Iraq's most feared terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "Irhabi 007" or "Terrorist 07" ran a web forum called Al-Ansar, along with several other sites. On September 11th a message appeared on this forum claiming to have come from "Al Qaeda in Northern Europe." One of those was a young man who called himself "Maximus," probably after the character in the 2000 movie Gladiator. <http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2007/01/11/bektasevic-mirsad-cp-22 52448.jpg> "Maximus," whose real name was Mirsad Bektasevic, was 19 years old. Born in Bosnia, his widowed mother took him to Sweden in 1994 when he was six years old. They lived in Kungälv in southwestern Sweden. He attended Bellevuemoskén, a mosque in the nearest city to his home, Gothenburg. According to his mother <http://www.thelocal.se/2481/20051112/> , Nafija Hamedovic, he was urged to join this mosque by "terrorists." She said: "He went there to pray. The ones who led him astray are terrorists." Hamedovic claimed in November <http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/27/news/bosnia.php?page=2> 2005 that a Palestinian from Syria, a Kurd and a Somali had influenced him, saying: "He was not religious before, but in the past two years he practiced more seriously. Some people frightened him and talked to him about hell, and told him he would be tortured in hell if he does not pray and does not believe." Mohammed Mohsin, a board member at the Bellevue mosque denied that Baktasevic was known at the mosque. He told the Dagens <http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=486684> Nyheter newspaper: "We do not know (him) and have not met him." Mohsin claimed that the Bellevue mosque had "nothing to do with terrorism." Bektasevic's mother said that for two years, her son was unemployed and had no money. She said she had to give him the bus fare which he used to travel to Bosnia. Bektasevic was arrested with a Danish citizen of Turkish background, called Cesur Abdulkadir, on October 19, 2005. With them was found a cache of weaponry including explosive suicide vests, explosive bullets, high explosives and a machine pistol. A video, recorded shortly before the arrest, showed three individuals asking Allah for "forgiveness" for their "sacrifice," indicating that a suicide attack was imminent. Bosnian border police claimed <http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/28/news/bosnia28.php?page=1> that the pair had entered the country three weeks earlier. Bektasevic left Sweden on September 27, 2005. Cesur Abdulkadir did not arrive until October 14th, claims the Danish Institute for <http://www.flwi.ugent.be/cie/documenten/jihad-dk.pdf> International Studies (pdf document, p44). Born in November 1985 in Frederiksberg, Denmark, Cesur was living in Hvidvore, Copenhagen before he left for Bosnia. He was described in the indictment handed down later by Bosnian authorities as a laborer, single, and unemployed. He was known by his code name "Turkey," referring to his ethnic ancestry. According to Dragan Mektic, Bosnia's deputy security minister, 10 people had been under surveillance since the end of September 2005. Five of these lived in a rented apartment in Sarajevo, where Mirsad Bektasevic and Cesur Abdulkadir were arrested. Only three people, including Bektasevic and Abdulkadir, were apprehended. The third man was arrested a month later. He had kept 10 kilograms of explosives hidden outside the capital, in a forest in Hadjici. This individual was a 28-year-old Bosnian called Barjo Ikanovic. He had helped Bektasevic and Abdulkadir to purchase 22 kilograms of explosives, for the purposes of creating a suicide belt. He would later stand trial with the two men. In the apartment on Poligonska Street in Butmir district, Sarajevo, Bektasevic was involved in numerous telephone conversations with individuals in Denmark. One phone conversation from October 7, 2005 recorded him saying: "I have spoken with Turkey and he will come here if God wills... We need money, because if we acquire the things and arrive, then we will, if God wills it, have our money back... Try to see if we can have more money, because I have, dear brother, praise to God, found some really good things, you know." The police raid that led to the arrest of Bektasevic and Abdulkadir took place just before 4 p.m. on October 19th. Bektkasevic answered the door and tried to resist arresting officers, calling them "scum." Cesur Abdulkadir was in another room, sitting on a sofa with his hand under his jacket. He was holding a loaded pistol. <http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42847000/jpg/_42847697_terrorvideo203 .jpg> The videotape found with the pair was made on a camera borrowed <http://www.thelocal.se/5021/20060925/> from Bektasevic's aunt. This showed individuals with balaclava-masked faces, surrounded by weaponry. The voice on the video (later said to have been that of Bektasevic) narrated: "Allah is the greatest. Our brothers are preparing themselves for an attack. They are showing us the things they will use in the attack. Our brothers are ready to attack, and if Allah wills, they will strike the infidels who are killing our brothers, the Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and other countries. This weapon will be used against Europe, against those whose forces are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our brothers have dedicated their lives to please Allah, to help their brothers and sisters. They are Muslim. Their time will come. They are ready to strike, so don't believe we have forgotten you. We are here, and we are planning and we are ready. This message is for you." Bektasevic had kept in contact with Younes Tsouli via Hotmail accounts on the Internet, and also by cell phone. It was through his cell phone "buddy list" that police in London came to arrest Younes Tsouli on October 21, 2005. On May 3, <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/002073.html> 2006, Mirsad Bektasevic and Cesur Abdulkadir stood trial in Sarajevo. Bosnian national Barjo Ikanovic also faced trial judge Mehmed Sator. They pleaded "not guilty" to the charges <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR200605030 0490.html> of buying explosives and weapons to implement suicide attacks in Europe. Bektasevic said: "These are all false accusations and I am not guilty." Having heard their pleas, the trial was then officially adjourned. The trial <http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features /2006/07/21/feature-01> indictment stated that "persons arrested in Great Britain, who are charged with the criminal act of causing an explosion and general danger, Younes Tsouli and Waseem Ahmet Mughal, owned a Swedish telephone number and a Bosnian telephone number that was used by suspect Mirsad Bektasevic." On January 10, <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003550.html> 2007, the trial came to an end. Mirsad Bektasevic was sentenced to 15 years and four months' jail. Abdulkadir Cesur was jailed for 13 years. Barjo Ikanovic was jailed for eight years while another Bosnian national, Senad Hasanovic, was given a two and a half year prison sentence. In June 2007 <http://www.thelocal.se/7639/20070618/> , a panel of three judges at the appeals chamber of the Court of Bosnia-Hercegovina agreed to reduce Bektasevic's sentence considerably. His sentenced was reduced from 15 years and four months to eight years and four months. Cesur Abdulkadir's sentence was reduced to six years and six months. Barjo Ikanovic had his sentence reduced to four years. Senad Hasanovic and another Bosnian national involved in the case had sentences increased to four years and six months. Even though his appeal was successful, he had earlier expressed indifference about the appeals process. After Monica Jagerman from the Swedish embassy visited him in jail in January 2007 <http://www.thelocal.se/6069/20070111/> , she said: "He doesn't care whether or not the verdict is appealed. His lawyer will have to decide that. He can't understand that he was given such a long sentence. He is critical of the whole process and has given his consent to appeal the verdict." The Danish Connection The monitored phone conversations between Bosnia and Denmark led to arrests of four people on October <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/000703.html> 28, 2005. Computers, discs, radical Muslim literature, cellular phones and $32,4000-worth of Danish kroner in cash were seized in the raids. 25 people were detained, but only four suspects were arrested. Two more suspects were arrested on October <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/000724.html> 29th. Another youth was arrested shortly afterwards. At the time, there was a panic that a major European city was to be a target of terrorist attack, inspired by the discoveries made in Bosnia. The individuals arrested in Denmark all worshipped <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/000867.html> at the "Waqfs" or "Islamic Congregation" mosque in Noerrebro district, Copenhagen. The imam of this mosque was the Islamist preacher Abu Laban. Mosque leaders said that the young people in custody who included a woman of Georgian descent all had a "colossal hatred" against society. Abu Laban claimed that their resentments made them "introverted." <http://www.kivik.dk/images/EU_abu_laban_stor.JPG> It is perhaps no wonder that these angry young people worshipped at Laban's mosque. Palestinian-born Abu Laban was a hard-line preacher, much like Abu Hamza, though more devious. It was he who sent delegates to the Middle East to stir up Islamic anger against the Danish cartoons that had been published on September 30, 2005 in Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Laban and his associate, Lebanese-born Ahmed Akkiri added three "extra" cartoons that were never featured in the original publication. One of these was a crude drawing of the prophet Mohammed with the word "Pedophile" and another was a photocopy of a photo of a man wearing a pig mask, which was claimed to represent Mohammed. This was, in fact a winning contestant at a French pig-squealing competition, and had no relation to Islam at all. The ensuing violence that resulted from Laban's actions caused up to 50 people to die in "cartoon riots." Laban, who died in February <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003588.html> 2007, had been filmed by a French-Algerian documentary maker, Mohammed Sifaoui, joking with Akkari about suicide bombings, and boasting that he knew someone prepared to conduct such an attack. Sifaoui said: "I have never stated that Abu Laban or Ahmed Akkari are terrorists in the sense that they are bombers themselves. They are something far worse: They are the ideologues who give young lunatics the necessary excuse for carrying out an act of terrorism in Denmark." Of the individuals arrested in connection with Bektasevic and Tsouli, only four stood trial. These were Adnan Avdic, Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, Elias Ibn Hsain, Imad Ali Jaloud, who were arrested in the west Copenhagen suburb of Glostrup. All pleaded not guilty of "attempting terrorism" when they appeared in court on <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003452.html> December 6, 2006. <http://i2-images.tv2.dk/s/35/1656135-32a7404d92be8ec3a8dc86e51eafa114.jpeg> On February <http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL1575853020070215> 15, 2007, Danish national of Palestinian parentage Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, aged 17, was found guilty and was sentenced to seven years' jail. The other three were acquitted of terrorism charges. Ali Jaloud and Adnan Avdic were found guilty of theft, but were released as they had spent a year in custody. Mirsad Bektasevic's recorded conversation of October 7, 2005, described above, was <http://www.isaintel.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32> with Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa. Though not mentioned by name, Abu-Lifa appears to be the individual described by the Danish Institute for International Studies (page 46) as "from Brondby. He had a Palestinian background and was raised in Denmark. Characterized as very intelligent and known as a good, but quiet student. Apparently the most active of the four, he was preparing to join up with Bektasevic in Sarajevo. However, when his father became aware of his plan he took his passport and forbade him to go anywhere. Cesur would become (his) replacement." In July <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/11/europe/EU-GEN-Denmark-Terror-Tria l.php> 2007, after the London trial of Younes Tsouli, Waseem Mughal and Tariq al-Daour had resulted in jail terms for the accused, the Danish General Prosecutor's Office announced that it would be holding a retrial of Elias Ibn Hsain who had earlier been acquitted. The decision was reached after a review of wiretapped conversations and computer material that was seized in Denmark during investigations. Additionally, the General Prosecutor's Office had received "additional information from abroad". The American Connection <http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/images/hs/hs1373260_1.jpg> When arrested, Younes Tsouli had on his computer a video presentation of sites in Washington. As narrated by the BBC's Security Correspondent Gordon Corera in this Newsnight video <http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/world/video/145000/bb/145554_16x9_bb. asx> : "Spring 2005: A group of young Muslim men meet in the Canadian city of Toronto. It is alleged that some of them had been communicating with Tsouli, and that they were now meeting to discuss blowing up targets in the US. Two of the men, who were American, then traveled to Washington DC. They recorded what prosecutors claim are reconnaissance videos. These included shots of Capitol Hill and the World Bank. They emailed the video to Tsouli in London." Two men were subsequently arrested. These were Pakistani-born U.S. citizen Syed Haris Ahmed (pictured), a student from Georgia Tech, and U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin, 19-year-old Eshanul Islam Sadequee from Roswell, Georgia. Syed Haris Ahmed's family had arrived in the United States in 1997, after winning a green card lottery. An FBI <http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/falsestatements042106.htm> affidavit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on April 21, 2006. This claimed that on August 18, 2005, before he left on a Bangladesh-bound flight at John F. Kennedy airport, Eshanul Islam Sadequee lied to agents of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Sadequee, who also went under the name "Shifa," was asked about where he would stay in Bangladesh, and about his previous travel. The affidavit against Sadequee claimed that "in January 2005 he traveled alone to Canada and stayed with his aunt in Toronto. The complaint alleges that, in fact, Sadequee traveled to Canada on March 13, 2005, together with Syed Haris Ahmed, 21, of Atlanta, for the purpose of meeting with Islamic extremists, stayed with an individual with whom they were conspiring concerning travel to terrorist camps, and met with three subjects of an FBI international terrorism investigation and discussed strategic locations in the United States suitable for a possible terrorist strike. An indictment returned by federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta) was unsealed yesterday charging Ahmed with material support of terrorism. Ahmed is detained in federal custody." United States Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf claimed: "The charge against Sadequee is serious the lies he told impact issues of national security and were material to an ongoing terrorism investigation. Both defendants now face federal charges, and the judicial process will run its course." On July 19, 2006 <http://www.sofir.org/sarchives/005897.php> a superseding indictment was made against Sadequee and Haris Ahmed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. This indictment maintained that the pair had conspired to provide material support for terrorists. The indictment states: "The defendants traveled to the Washington, D.C., area and recorded brief "casing" video clips of symbolic and infrastructure targets of potential terrorist attacks, including the United States Capitol. The defendants made these video clips to establish their credentials with other supporters of violent jihad as well as for use in support of violent jihad. Defendant SADEQUEE then conveyed, or caused to be conveyed, the video clips to Younis Tsouli, a coconspirator not charged herein, who was located in the United Kingdom and who maintained the video clips along with other violent jihad materials." Additionally, the indictment maintains that Syed Haris Ahmed had gone to Pakistan to seek training to commit "violent jihad in Kashmir or elsewhere" with the aim of joining Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Lashkar-e-Taiba <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/002757.html> or Lashkar-e-Toiba, the "Army of the Righteous"). Syed Haris Ahmed's sister Samia said: "He's religious and liked the simple life. He wants us to abide by the rules. He isn't against anyone he just doesn't want us to lose our faith. He was trying to learn everything. He's still very innocent in his mind. He's a child." The July 2006 indictment states that Sadequee had gone to Bangladesh to continue his "activities in support of violent jihad." There was some <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/001999.html> controversy about how Eshanul Islam Sadequee came to be in U.S. custody. Syed Haris Ahmed was arrested in the United States on March 23, 2006. At that time, Sadequee was in Bangladesh. On April 17th, he apparently disappeared in Baridhara. Eshanul Islam Sadequee was then officially arrested in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital. Though there is no official extradition treaty between the U.S. and Bangladesh, Sadequee was handed to the FBI and flown to the U.S. The Bangladeshi Home Affairs minister Luftozzaman Babar later claimed that Sadequee activities in Bangladesh were "suspicious." He said: "No extradition treaty is needed for that. We have deported many people. Every year we extradite five to seven people to the USA. He was handed over on the basis of sufficient information and evidence about his involvement in militancy." The Canadian Connection The meeting in Toronto that took place in March 2005 would lead to further arrests. The individuals who met with Haris Ahmed and Eshanul Islam Sadequee were under surveillance since 2004. On the night of June 2, <http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/002274.html> 2006, 17 individuals were arrested in Canada. Five of those arrested were minors. All of the individuals were arrested in Toronto and southern Ontario. 400 police were involved in the operation to apprehend the individuals. One of those arrested, 22-year-old Fahim Ahmed from Pickering, a suburb of Toronto, allegedly rented a car to two men who were caught bringing weapons into Canada from the United States on August 14, <http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/08/13/canada.weapons/index.html> 2005. The weapons and ammunition were strapped to their bodies as they traveled across Peace Bridge, Niagara. The FBI hinted that the 17 arrested individuals had connections with Syed Haris Ahmed and Eshanul Islam Sadequee. Special Agent Richard Kilko said: "The FBI is aware of the ongoing law enforcement activity in Canada. There is preliminary indication that some of the Canadian subjects may have had limited contact with the two people recently arrested from Georgia." The news at the time claimed that the arrested males had planned to carry out terrorist attacks upon Canadian targets. Members of the group had apparently tried to purchase ammonium nitrate, the fertilizer that had been used by bomber Timothy McVeigh to attack the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma It would soon emerge that these individuals were allegedly plotting to storm the Ottowa parliament building, and to kidnap and behead the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. These details, and more, will be described in Part Three tomorrow. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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