Four Terrorists Arrested in Terror Conspiracy
By Jim Kouri CPP (09/03/05)
Four men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana California for their suspected terrorist plot to attack US military installations, Israeli government facilities and Jewish synagogues in the Los Angeles area, according to the US Department of Justice.
[The following article is based on government reports received by the National Association of Chiefs of Police. NACOP represents over 14,000 police commanders, sheriffs and directors of security.]
The seditious conspiracy charged in the indictment, which also included nearly a dozen gas station robberies intended to raise money for the terrorist operation, was allegedly headed by an inmate at California State Prison-Sacramento. Prison inmate Kevin James founded a radical Islamic organization known as Jam'iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh, or JIS. Recruitment of terrorists in the conspiracy began in prison, according to the indictment. Upon being released from prison, defendant Levar Washington then allegedly recruited other co-conspirators to plot terrorist acts and commit armed robberies.
The six-count grand jury indictment charges leader Kevin James, 29, a US national, who allegedly founded JIS in 1997 while in prison; Levar Washington, 25, a US national;
Gregory Patterson, 21, a US national; and Hammad Samana, 21, a lawful permanent US resident originally from Pakistan.
The indictment charges all four defendants with conspiracy to levy war against the United States government through terrorism and conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence. Three of the suspected terrorists -- Washington, Patterson and Samana -- are charged with conspiracy to kill members of the US government uniformed services and conspiracy to kill foreign officials. Washington and Patterson are further charged with interference with commerce by robbery and using and carrying a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
"The indictment[s] allege[s] that these defendants turned their terrorist plans and actions against locations in their own country, targeting American military facilities, religious institutions, and other facilities right here in the United States," said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
The AG thanked the work of investigators at all levels of government. During a press conference, AG Gonzales intimated that any further acts of violence arising from this dangerous conspiracy -- a conspiracy which included identification of target locations, procurement of weapons, firearms and physical training, recruitment efforts, and financing operations through armed robberies -- had been prevented as a result of these arrests.
Diligent work by the Torrance Police Department was the first step in uncovering and ultimately disrupting a terrorist plot that had the potential to cause significant bloodshed. The local police reported the results of their initial investigation to the FBI and from there all levels of law enforcement worked together to uncover and disrupt a plot that sought to do significant damage to the United States and the death of many people.
Also involved in the investigation were members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD committed over 100 persons from their Counter Terrorism Bureau to assist in this terrorism investigation.
The indictment alleges that James recruited fellow prison inmates to join JIS and preached the duty of members to target enemies of Islam, or "infidels," including the US government and Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Israel. James allegedly distributed a document in prison that justified the killing of "infidels," and made members take an oath not to talk about the existence of JIS. He also allegedly sought to establish groups or "cells" of JIS members outside of prison to carry out violent attacks against "perceived infidels," including the US government, the government of Israel and Jewish people.
Washington, also an inmate at the Sacramento prison, joined JIS in November 2004, and was paroled at the end of the month, according to the indictment. In December 2004, James allegedly instructed Washington to recruit five people to train in covert operations, acquire firearms with silencers, and find contacts with explosives expertise or learn to make bombs that could be activated from a distance.
The indictment alleges that beginning in about December 2004, Washington, Patterson and Samana targeted and conducted Internet research on and surveillance of US military facilities -- such as recruitment centers and military bases -- in the Los Angeles area, as part of their plot to murder US military personnel. In July 2005, Patterson and Samana allegedly used computers to research military targets in the Los Angeles area, while Samana drafted a document listing Israeli and US targets in Los Angeles. In addition to the US military targets, the co-conspirators specifically targeted Israeli and Jewish facilities in the Los Angeles area, including the Israeli Consulate, El Al (the national airline of Israel) and synagogues. They also allegedly engaged in firearms, martial arts and physical training in preparation for planned attacks.
The fledgling terrorist cell purchased weapons or tried to acquire weapons from illegal sources as part of their terrorist conspiracy. They also made efforts to raise money by robbing gas stations. Police reports indicate that 11 times beginning May 30, 2005, the defendants -- armed with shotguns -- robbed or attempted to rob gas stations in the several cities and towns in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Torrance, Playa Del Ray, Bellflower, Pico Rivera, Walnut, Orange, Playa Vista and Fullerton. Local cops allege that during the gas station robbery spree, Patterson updated James on the progress of the planned war of terrorism against the US government.
These terrorists face life sentences, according to prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
{The following agencies assisted with this report submitted to the National Association of Chiefs of Police headquarters in Florida: Los Angeles Police Department; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Torrance Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Los Angeles Port Police; US Customs and Border Protection; the US Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the US Environmental Protection Agency; Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, Bureau of Investigations; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the California Department of Justice; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and the US Department of Defense. Other agencies providing resources to the investigation include the Federal Air Marshals, the Santa Monica Community College Police, the Beverly Hills Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigations Division, the US Army Office of Intelligence, the United States Marshals Service, the US Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Los Angeles Airport Police.}
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