The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

U.S. to Transfer Al Qaeda Combatant Into Civilian Court System Posted: 26 Feb 2009 10:03 PM PST An accused Al Qaeda sleeper agent held for 5 1/2 years at a Navy brig in South Carolina will soon be sent to Illinois for trial in civilian court, a move the government has fought for years saying terror suspects caught in the U.S. could be held indefinitely without charges. Two people familiar with the case of Qatar native Ali al-Marri said Thursday the government plans to transfer him to the civilian court system. One of them said he would be charged with providing support to terrorists. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because it’s a pending criminal case. The transfer could avert a Supreme Court hearing in April and a subsequent ruling that would govern other cases against accused terrorists. Al-Marri’s transfer is the first signal of how the Obama administration is likely to handle accused terrorists, a significant shift from the strategy of the Bush administration. Since shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, government lawyers argued that the president has the wartime authority to send the military into any U.S. neighborhood, capture a citizen — or legal resident like al-Marri — and hold him in prison without charge, indefinitely. Putting al-Marri into the federal court system follows a similar move made by the Bush administration with another enemy combatant, Jose Padilla. Padilla, once held at the same brig as al-Marri, was eventually convicted of terror-related charges in federal court in Florida. The decision on al-Marri was reported separately Thursday by the Web sites of The Washington Post and The New Yorker magazine. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Terrorist in New York City Bombing Plot Released Posted: 26 Feb 2009 09:40 PM PST A Black September terrorist who served only about half his 30-year sentence for planting three car bombs in New York City in 1973 was deported Thursday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. It was unclear which country had agreed to accept the 63-year-old Khalid Al-Jawary. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deportation, didn’t immediately know where Al-Jawary was going. Al-Jawary was convicted in federal court of placing the bombs in 1973 that could have killed and injured hundreds if they had detonated. They were timed to coincide with the arrival of then-Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. Al-Jawary was captured in 1991 and sentenced in 1993 to 30 years but received credit for good behavior and time served. He was released last week from the Supermax maximum-security prison in Florence, Colo., and was held by immigration officials in Denver until his deportation. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Alleged FBI Informant Claims Man Threatened To Blow Up S. California Shopping Centers Posted: 26 Feb 2009 09:32 PM PST Craig Montielh, a 46-year-old father of three, said Thursday that he worked as an FBI informant uncovering suspected terrorist plots. The Irvine man came forward saying he fears for his life because people may think he is a terrorist. He says his four-year investigation led to one arrest and seven others are pending, under sealed indictments. “If they wanted to kill me, it’s not hard to do,” Monteilh said. Last week, Ahmed Niazi was arrested on charges of passport and immigration fraud. “Ahmad Niazi is a gentleman, a scholar, a devoted father. But make no mistake, he is also a terrorist,” Montielh said. Montielh also claims Niazi threatened to blow up shopping centers like South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island, to “fight the infidel,” meaning the United States. “If malls are attacked and bombs are exploding, people won’t go spend their money,” Monteilh said. “People will remain in fear and stay home.” Monteilh said he alerted the FBI to Niazi, 34, after meeting him at the Islamic Center of Irvine in November 2006 and spending eight months with him, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is outraged about the case against Niazi, saying the FBI is profiling mosques by placing undercover agents in their midst. The FBI says it will not comment about the case involving Montiehl. Niazi is scheduled to be arraigned March 2 on a five-count federal indictment that accuses him of lying on his naturalization application, procuring naturalization unlawfully, using a passport procured by fraud and making a false statement. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

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