washingtonpost: Terror Cell Broken, U.S. Says
The FBI has acknowledged it has no evidence against five US citizens,
originally from Yemen, who were arrested on Friday. The arrests appear
to rest largely on an affidavit accusing them of taking a weapons
training course in Afghanistan. They have been charged with supporting
a terrorist organization, despite no evidence of financial exchanges. A
separate story raises questions
about the evidence against those arrested in similar circumstances.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III acknowledged that authorities had no evidence that the defendants, residents of this aging steel town, had plotted terror attacks in Upstate New York or anywhere else. Nor did officials offer proof that the cell members had exchanged money with al Qaeda or were in touch with terrorist operatives after their return to the United States. "We have not seen any plans of an imminent attack," Mueller said. "We do not fully know the intentions of those charged today." [...] The defendants, American-born citizens of Yemeni descent, learned to shoot assault rifles, handguns and other weapons at a camp in Afghanistan in June 2001, according to an FBI affidavit that accompanies the criminal complaint filed against them in federal court in nearby Buffalo. Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network, allegedly visited the camp during their training, and gave a speech espousing anti-American and anti-Israeli views, officials say. At least one of the defendants, Sahim Alwan, attended lectures in Kandahar on jihad and religious justifications for using suicide as a weapon, according to the document. [...] [Sahim Alwan], 29; Yahya Goba, 25; Shafal Mosed, 24; Yasein Taher, 24; and Faysal Galab, 26 are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. They face 15 years in prison if convicted. (see www.washingtonpost.com)According to CNN, the case appears to be based on accusations by detainees held overseas.
Much of the information gathered in the investigation came from three "uncharged co-conspirators" mentioned in the criminal complaint. Some of them, according to the sources, are being held in countries the sources do not want to identify because of "political sensitivities." (see www.cnn.com)