"3 Calif. men charged in alleged terror plot" by Greg Risling | Associated Press, November 21, 2012
LOS ANGELES — Three California men excited at the prospect of training in Afghanistan to become terrorists prepared, authorities say, by simulating combat with paintball rifles, wiping their Facebook profiles of any Islamic references, and concocting cover stories.
Just two days before they were going to board a plane bound for Istanbul — and then onto Afghanistan — FBI agents thwarted plans that officials said included killing Americans and bombing US military bases overseas.
The arrests last week in the United States and of the man said to be the ringleader, 34-year-old American Sohiel Omar Kabir, in Afghanistan were laid out in a 77-page affidavit, which included references to the group’s online video conversations and audio recordings.
While authorities don’t believe there were any plans for an attack in the United States, Kabir had intended to go on a suicide mission earlier this month but got sick, according to the court documents unsealed in federal court Monday.
Kabir indicated he would wait for the group, which included a confidential FBI informant, before staging an attack, according to the affidavit.
You mean instigator.
Along with Kabir, Ralph Deleon, Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales, and Arifeen David Gojali are facing charges of providing material support to terrorists.
The charges can carry a maximum 15-year prison sentence, if they are convicted.
Defense attorneys did not immediately return calls for comment.
Federal investigators said Kabir introduced Deleon and Vidriales to the radical Islamist doctrine of the US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed last year in an American airstrike in Yemen.
Related: AmeriKan Missiles Keep Things All in the Family in Yemen
Kabir, a naturalized US citizen from Afghanistan, served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001, helping to prepare forces for deployment. He was administratively separated for unknown reasons and was given an honorable discharge, the military said....
No to immigration reform!
Deleon and Santana were eager about the prospects of being terrorists. When asked by the FBI informant if both men had thought about how it would feel to kill someone, Santana responded, ‘‘The more I think about it, the more it excites me.’’
Santana said he was easily influenced by people growing up and spent time around gangs. He said converting to Islam was a good move for him because he could fit in and ‘‘actually fight for something that’s right,’’ according to court documents.
Santana was born in Mexico, while Deleon was born in the Philippines. Both are lawful, permanent US residents.
Jen Collins, who lives two doors down from Santana’s apartment in Upland, east of Los Angeles, said at least a dozen FBI agents swarmed his unit early Friday. ‘‘It was like something coming out of the movies or TV,’’ Collins said.
Then that is EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS! Another STAGED and SCRIPTED SET-UP!
--more--"
"Lawyer questions handling of terror suspect" December 10, 2012
Just two days before they were going to board a plane bound for Istanbul — and then onto Afghanistan — FBI agents thwarted plans that officials said included killing Americans and bombing US military bases overseas.
The arrests last week in the United States and of the man said to be the ringleader, 34-year-old American Sohiel Omar Kabir, in Afghanistan were laid out in a 77-page affidavit, which included references to the group’s online video conversations and audio recordings.
While authorities don’t believe there were any plans for an attack in the United States, Kabir had intended to go on a suicide mission earlier this month but got sick, according to the court documents unsealed in federal court Monday.
Kabir indicated he would wait for the group, which included a confidential FBI informant, before staging an attack, according to the affidavit.
You mean instigator.
Along with Kabir, Ralph Deleon, Miguel Alejandro Santana Vidriales, and Arifeen David Gojali are facing charges of providing material support to terrorists.
The charges can carry a maximum 15-year prison sentence, if they are convicted.
Defense attorneys did not immediately return calls for comment.
Federal investigators said Kabir introduced Deleon and Vidriales to the radical Islamist doctrine of the US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed last year in an American airstrike in Yemen.
Related: AmeriKan Missiles Keep Things All in the Family in Yemen
Kabir, a naturalized US citizen from Afghanistan, served in the Air Force from 2000 to 2001, helping to prepare forces for deployment. He was administratively separated for unknown reasons and was given an honorable discharge, the military said....
No to immigration reform!
Deleon and Santana were eager about the prospects of being terrorists. When asked by the FBI informant if both men had thought about how it would feel to kill someone, Santana responded, ‘‘The more I think about it, the more it excites me.’’
Santana said he was easily influenced by people growing up and spent time around gangs. He said converting to Islam was a good move for him because he could fit in and ‘‘actually fight for something that’s right,’’ according to court documents.
Santana was born in Mexico, while Deleon was born in the Philippines. Both are lawful, permanent US residents.
Jen Collins, who lives two doors down from Santana’s apartment in Upland, east of Los Angeles, said at least a dozen FBI agents swarmed his unit early Friday. ‘‘It was like something coming out of the movies or TV,’’ Collins said.
Then that is EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS! Another STAGED and SCRIPTED SET-UP!
--more--"
"Lawyer questions handling of terror suspect" December 10, 2012
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The attorney of a Southern California terrorism suspect is questioning authorities’ handling of his client, who had injuries to his face and head when he was turned over to the FBI by US military officials in Afghanistan.
Oh, he was tortured? What shock.
Oh, he was tortured? What shock.
When Sohiel Omar Kabir arrived in California last week he had a broken facial bone, lacerations, and was suffering from memory loss, according to Jeffrey Aaron, deputy federal public defender.
‘‘We think a lot of the injuries occurred during his arrest,’’ Aaron told the Long Beach Press Telegram. ‘‘We’re investigating what happened and why he wasn’t hospitalized.’’
Kabir, 34, was captured Nov. 17 by US special forces in Kabul, where he was staying with family members, and held for two weeks by the military before being turned over to the FBI.
FBI spokesman Laura Eimiller said Kabir suffered ‘‘combat-related injuries’’ during his capture. The injuries were treated by American medical personnel, and he was cleared to be taken back to the United States. Kabir, a naturalized US citizen, is the suspected ringleader of a plot to kill Americans and bomb military bases overseas.
He and three other defendants — Ralph Deleon and Arifeen Gojail, both 21, and Miguel Santana Vidriales, 23 — have pleaded not guilty. The three were arrested as they waited to board a plane to meet with Kabir in Afghanistan.
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