American Convicted on Terror Charges in Atlanta

[Old Coot]

Source: Washington Post

A federal judge in Atlanta today convicted Syed Haris Ahmed of conspiring to support terrorists, four years after he and a confederate traveled to the District to videotape possible targets and sent the footage to "jihadi brothers" overseas, prosecutors say.

Ahmed, 24, is a naturalized American citizen born in Pakistan but raised in Georgia. In April 2005, he made short digital videos of area landmarks including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, the Masonic Temple, the World Bank and fuel tanks near I-95 in northern Virginia, according to the indictment.

Investigators later discovered that footage was shared with Younis Tsouli, an alleged recruiter for al Qaeda in Iraq, and Aabid Hussein Kahn, who authorities say has ties to Pakistani terrorist groups such as Lashkar-i-Taiba. Both men have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes in British courts.

U.S. authorities never alleged that Ahmed, a one-time engineering student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, posed an imminent threat. Rather, his prosecution was another in a long line of cases in which law enforcement officials have sought to preempt alleged terrorist plots at early stages.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/10/AR2009061001545.html

[kestrel91316]

1. Explain to me again why it's only terrorism if the perp has an Arabic name?

[Duer 157099]

7. That was exactly my thought when I only read the headline

I thought: oh, I betcha it's a foreign sounding name.

So incredibly obvious, bizarre, unbalanced, racist, unfair and all too common these days.

[Javaman]

9. well, because he was shooting things with a camera and not with a gun...

unlike some people in the news lately that aren't of Arabic decent.

don't think to hard about it, it will make you go crazy.

[RainDog]

2. If he is convicted on the basis of those charges

Then Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, James Dobson, Wiley the shithead former head of the Southern Baptist Convention and Operation Rescue should all be arrested and tried for their support of domestic terrorism.

U.S. authorities, as noted in this case, are seeking to preempt alleged terrorist plots and this was the basis for their conviction.

We have video and audio evidence of this same support for terrorists in the above named right wing terrorist supporters. I hope Bill remembers to call for his own arrest.

[Celtic Merlin]

3. While I agree that there are a few other domestic terrorists

...in this country who need to see the inside of a courtroom (and they don't have "Arabic-sounding" names), the lack of prosecutorial action against them does NOT justify what this guy did - despite his "Arabic-sounding" name.

Making a vid of the Capitol and/or the Pentagon is certainly no big deal. Including the Masonic Temple, the World Bank, and FUEL TANKS NEAR I-95 (none of which are tourist attractions) makes the vid at least very suspect. Sending the vid to two guys who were later convicted in British (not US) courts of terrorism-related crimes makes this guy's actions pretty damning.

Are there other people we need to investigate, prosecute, convict, and incarcerate who DON'T have "Arabic-sounding" names? Of course. While I can't say when they'll be gotten to, we cannot in the meanwhile excuse people like this fellow just because of his name. If he'd changed his name to John Smith and converted to Christianity, he'd be just as guilty.

Celtic Merlin
Carlinist

[abq e streeter]

4. you're a newbie-how dare you jump right in and start making perfect sense

jus' kiddin---except for the part about being reasonable and making sense, which your post absolutely does---welcome.

[Celtic Merlin]

5. Oh, SHIT! Did I just make sense?

I'm so sorry about that. :0)

I'm definitely a newb here, but you can check out what I've been up to over at DKos. There are lots of comments and a few diaries there that'll let you in on what kinda nutjob I really am.

Thanks for the welcome and the cool comment.

Celtic Merlin
Carlinist

[abq e streeter]

6. yeah, well just don't let it happen again

:headbang:

[No Elephants]

8. So, if Muslim terrorists are in the US, does that mean we have to bomb ourselves? Just asking.