Terrorists in our midst

“Nearly four years after our initial investigative report about a domestic terrorist group was made public, we can provide readers the first in a series of exclusive comprehensive updates about Jamaat ul Fuqra’s presence and activities in the U.S. and Canada. While much has been written about this terrorist group and their ‘training compounds,’ the cold, hard facts are far more disturbing than the Internet folklore they attract.”

By Douglas J, Hagmann

Editors’ note: This is the first installment of updated information a combined investigation between Douglas J. Hagmann, director of the Northeast Intelligence Network and Judi McLeod, founding editor of Canada Free Press.

18 December 2009: Readers of Canada Free Press and the Northeast East Intelligence Network will recall our initial report published in February 2006 about Jamaat ul Fuqra, an Islamic terrorist group operating under the guise of legitimacy by adopting benign sounding identities such as the International Quranic Open University and the Muslims of the Americas. The reality is that Jamaat ul Fuqra is a fully operational Islamic terrorist organization firmly embedded throughout the U.S. and Canada and led by top Pakistani terror leader Shiek Mubarek Ali Gilani of Lahore, Pakistan. Gilani is most well known for his role in the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, a claim denied by Gilani and the subject of an ongoing dispute among terrorism investigators.

Federal investigators confirmed that Jamat ul Fuqra members have been responsible for at least a dozen murders, 17 bombings and fire bombings, and several assassinations and attempted assassinations. The perpetrators of those terrorist acts received their paramilitary training at the Islamberg compound in New York State. In the weeks preceding the 9/11 attacks, nearby residents to the Islamic compound witnessed male residents of the compound, dressed in military type fatigues, running in military style formation on the rural road adjacent to the Muslim owned property. Other residents heard the sounds of gunfire and small explosions coming from the depths of the expansive property.

In our 2006 report, the public was informed of specific activities of this terrorist organization that were taking place on our own soil. Such activities included paramilitary training such as live-fire weapons training, using an elementary school bus as a practice target for weapons and bomb training, repelling, and various forms of urban assault training. It is critically important to understand that our report was a product of a lengthy investigation performed by skilled, veteran investigators with years of field experience in covert surveillance and investigative techniques.

To state that the publication of our investigative findings in 2006 report caused a stir domestically and even internationally would be quite an understatement. Our report was met by a scathing, if not delusional and inherently threatening response by Gilani himself, who claims that our report was the product of a Zionist conspiracy to fuel a holy war by Jews and Christians against Muslims. The report, printed and shown to Jamaat ul Fuqra leaders, called the report a product of “Kosher kids,” and obviously denied every aspect of the report.

Unsurprisingly, our report was also met with skepticism by media pundits and Internet Bloggers who described as “ridiculous” that such Islamic paramilitary training compounds could be permitted to exist in North America. Others felt that if such activity was indeed occurring on American or U.S. soil, authorities would most certainly take the necessary action to protect its citizens. Despite all such skepticism, our report was cited by the Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC) and gained the attention of several state and federal law enforcement officials in three countries. Additional citations have been included in such reputable law enforcement publications such as The Counter-Terrorist, and have been included in a number of books on Islamic terrorism. Interestingly and somewhat telling to those who understand the nature of law enforcement and government matters, many of the facts taken from our initial report remain classified as “confidential,” “law enforcement sensitive,” and in one case on a federal level, even “classified.”

Five weeks after the issuance of our report, U.S. law enforcement officials personally visited this investigator, stating that an informant admitted Gilani sent instructions to each of the compound leaders in North America, providing specific advice on the methods to use to counter the growing attention to the published report. That international communication also contained my personal information and professional identity, with instructions to prevent any further investigation into their organization. While sympathetic, they said they were powerless to do anything proactive. To add insult to potential injury, they also stated that there were no plans to open an investigation into this organization, a decision that was reportedly made by government officials “at a much higher pay grade.” It was a conversation that I remember well, but not unexpected or surprising based on my previous experience with federal officials.

As the Northeast Intelligence Network and Canada Free Press continued our combined covert investigation into the activities of this terror organization, other Internet-based organizations created a cottage industry with various films and informational products based, in part, on our initial findings. Some of these documentaries appear to take artistic license with the facts, although none need any embellishment as the stone-cold truth is sufficiently disturbing.

As the popularity of such videos grew, many internal workings of the terrorist group, including but not limited to some of their physical locations, operational tactics, paramilitary training and even business front organizations were changed to ultimately avoid further probes into their activities. Although the current videos offer valuable insight of their past operations, they may not accurately reflect the most updated operations and tactics presently being employed by this growing threat. Accordingly, the real and present danger of this group and the threat they present has been marginalized at a time we can least afford to have the truth tossed into the ashbin of urban legend.

Today, the threat posed by these domestic terrorists is more severe than initially reported. Now more than ever is time to be very concerned. The operational tempo of Jamaat ul Fuqra is on the rise, and people need to be updated of this growing threat.

Since 2006, the changes to Jamaat ul Fuqra have been both obvious and subtle, the latter posing the greatest threat to our safety. This initial article will address some important changes since our initial report, with additional reports to follow.

One thing must be understood. The individuals involved in this terrorist group are determined, dangerous, deadly deceptive, and of course, deadly. They are fiercely loyal to Sheik Gilani who has gained significant influence in Pakistan due to events in that country over the last few years. Gilani’s reach and influence with his U.S. followers has risen since 2006. His abilities have increased and have been emboldened by our domestic policies on Islamic terrorism. Communications between Gilani and his U.S. followers have sharply risen over the last few years, increasing the cohesion among his “disciples.” That cohesion and increased communication has manifested itself in a number of areas, including the following:

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment into Jamaat ul Fuara has risen significantly since 2006, primarily from the U.S. prison systems. A combination of a virtually unsupervised Islamic religious recruitment program within the prison system, failure to verify the written materials religious provided to inmates by Muslim chaplains who have not been properly vetted, and current economic conditions are attributable to this rise. Although any exact numbers are difficult to obtain, the best estimate base on statistics from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and other government agencies indicate a 20-30 percent increase in membership over the last four years. Such numbers would suggest that membership levels are at their highest point since the group’s inception in the early 1980’s.

FUNDING

Funding of Jamaat ul Fuqra is directly proportional to its membership. As membership rises, so do the contributions that are made directly to terror kingpin Gilani through a complex monetary transfer system. This system is comprised of a system of shell companies and charities. According to classified federal reports seen by this investigator, funds received in Pakistan are handled by Gilani and his closest associates to fund terror operations, pay off members of Pakistan’s ISI, and even distributed to other Islamic terror groups that include al Qaeda, HAMAS and Hezbollah.

ACCEPTANCE

Additionally, the acceptance of Jamaat ul Fuqra’s front groups, specifically the Muslims of the Americas and the IOQU as legitimate religious entities by political and government officials on state and federal levels have favorably contributed to their recruitment. Perhaps the most obvious example of this manifested itself in Binghamton, NY, where city officials not only permitted, but advocated a parade of Jamaat ul Fuqra members as a symbolic gesture of Interfaith tolerance and understanding. It is no coincidence that the point of contact for that event was Tarik Abdelazim, executive assistant to the Mayor of Binghamton. That dovetails into the next issue, which is a dramatic upsurge of Jamaat ul Fuqra members and its direct supporters into various positions of influence, power, and strategic importance.

INFILTRATION

Noted in the Fox News report from 2006, members of Jamaat ul Fuqra were observed wearing uniforms of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. The simple reason is that Jamaat ul Fuqra members ARE employed in such sensitive infrastructure positions. More alarming is that employment by men and women who have sworn their allegiance to a Pakistani terrorist into such vital sections of our infrastructure is growing rapidly. Our investigation has found that the some women members of Jamaat ul Fuqra are working as school bus drivers, computer operations at credit card data centers, and public utilities. Male members continue to work within the Port Authority and have gained access to government positions.

MILITARIZATION

Perhaps most alarming of all is that since 2006, Jamaat ul Fuqra members have stepped up their paramilitary training, weapons purchasing and stockpiling, and tactical training in urban warfare. In the case of Islamberg, they have moved a large portion of their training to other facilities, and have actually utilized other “legitimate” Islamic centers within New York and elsewhere to hold their training. Done as a result of the attention drawn to the compound and to disprove the allegations made in our 2006 report, Gilani instructed members of Islamberg to “clean up” the operations there so that the report of paramilitary training would be effectively refuted by our very own media.

One example of this can easily be cited by the elementary school bus used for paramilitary training. Prior to 2006, the bus was clearly filled with bullet holes and its windows were blown out by what appeared to be the use of explosives inside the bus. As the media and others descended on the compound to see for themselves the evidence cited in our report, the school bus documented by film was no longer present in the condition described. An exception to this can be found in the excellent Fox News report that was broadcast within days of our initial report. Today, few indications of such training remain to a cursory inspection.

Currently, Jamaat ul Fuqra members are conducting paramilitary training in other areas, including more remote mountainous locations within our national forests. It may also surprise some that similar paramilitary training is taking place at urban locations, including mosques and Islamic centers in New York City and upstate New York. Such training is often disguised by seemingly benign description as personal defense classes that are needed, of course, due to the anticipated backlash against Muslims because of incidents like the Fort Hood massacre.

Our investigation has found that the frequency of such exercises is on the rise, as is the number of those participating. According to one member of Jamaat ul Fuqra participating in a paramilitary exercise at an Islamic center in New York, “we are getting ready…the Day of Atonement is close at hand.”

Important Fox News Video HERE

Coincidence? As our investigation of Jamaat ul Fuqra murders, assassinations and fire bombings continued, investigators received an unpleasant surprise.