Tuesday, November 24, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS — Terrorism charges filed Monday in Minneapolis against eight men painted the most complete picture yet of how about 20 Minneapolis men were allegedly indoctrinated, recruited and trained to fight in Somalia with a terrorist organization.
The eight, most of whom have fled the country, were also charged with providing financial support and fighting for Al-Shabaab, which the U.S. government identifies as a terrorist group with ties to al Qaeda.
The development, announced at the office of the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, brings to 14 the total number of local men charged or indicted in the case, considered to be one of the most far-reaching counterterrorism investigations since that of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Four men already have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Five other Somali men have been killed, along with a Muslim convert from Minneapolis.
Ralph Boelter, special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis office, said Monday that investigators have been concerned about the prospects of American citizens with U.S. passports receiving terrorist training and returning to this country, possibly to carry out an attack on American soil.
He added, however, that the investigation here shows "no evidence" that such a plot exists.
Boelter said officials decided to announce the additional indictments Monday because they had "reached a tipping point" in the case and had made substantial progress in the investigation.
Boelter said, "I believe we have reached momentum and have reached the point where we will have full resolution of this case."
The picture painted in court records released Monday was of young Somali men seduced by the cause of defending their war-torn homeland against Ethiopian troops that had helped oust an Islamic government.
Six men bought the recruiters' pitch. Court records say that after arriving in Somalia in late 2007, the men allegedly stayed in safe houses and attended terrorist training camps that included "dozens of other young ethnic Somalis" from other parts of Africa, Europe and the United States.
The trainees were reportedly trained by Somali, Arab and Western instructors "in the use of small arms, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and military-style tactics," records say. They also were indoctrinated against
Ethiopian, American, Israeli and Western beliefs.
5 accused of trying to buy missiles
The FBI terrorism task force in Philadelphia has arrested five men of Lebanese origin, after an extensive international undercover sting in which one of the men allegedly tried to purchase 100 Stinger missiles designed to shoot down aircraft.
The central figure in the case planned to use the anti-aircraft weapons and 250 machine guns in the Middle East, and asked to have them exported to Iran or Syria for use by "the Resistance," a reference to the Palestinians fighting Israelis, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed Monday.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/n ... error.html
This is either gross incompetency on the fbi part or just pure muslim profiling! 
