Thread: Feds think man aided terror suspects through Texas

Feds think man aided terror suspects through Texas

Associated Press

Posted on March 28, 2011 at 7:58 AM

SAN ANTONIO—Federal officials believe members of East African terrorist groups sneaked into the U.S. after a Somali man now in custody helped them get through Mexico and Texas, according to a newspaper report.

A Justice Department memo and other documents obtained by the San Antonio Express-News said federal authorities believe that Ahmed Muhammed Dhakane helped "violent jihadists" slip across the border, but they don’t know where they are now.

U.S. Homeland Security officials issued an alert last spring asking Houston-area law enforcement to be on the lookout for a suspected member of al-Shabaabp, an al-Qaida ally based in Somalia. The alert went out after new charges were filed against the 24-year-old Dhakane, who had been arrested in Brownsville in 2008 on immigration charges. The new charges alleged he made false statements in support of his asylum application, and he pleaded guilty on Nov. 2. Sentencing is set for April 28.

But he denies that he smuggled potential terrorists into the U.S. and helped groups accused of funding terrorism. Dhakane hasn’t been charged with those crimes, but the allegations were levied in the indictments and prosecutors hope to use the claims during his sentencing.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been trying to trace Dhakane’s movements and contacts, according to the documents.

"He admits that he knowingly believed he was smuggling violent jihadists into the United States with the full knowledge that if the decision was made by the (specially designated global terrorist groups) ... these jihadists would commit violent acts in and against the United States," the Justice Department memo stated, according to the Express-News.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of at least 20 years for Dhakane, according to the memo. Five of Dhakane’s alleged clients are identified in the memo, three of whom are known to have entered the U.S.

Dhakane’s attorney, federal public defender Alfred Villarreal, did not respond to an email from The Associated Press for comment. Dhakane and his attorney also did not respond to the Express-News’ requests for comment.

Prosecutors allege that Dhakane failed to disclose that he was a member or associate of the al-Barakat financial transfer network and Al-Ittihad al-Islami, or the Islamic Union, which wants to impose Islamic law in Somalia. Both are on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of global terrorist groups with links to al-Qaida, according to the indictment.

The indictment also said Dhakane lied about his movements before entering the U.S. in March 2008. It says he "participated in and later ran a large-scale smuggling enterprise out of Brazil" that smuggled hundreds of people, mostly East Africans, into the U.S.

Among those smuggled were several Somalis affiliated with Al-Ittihad al-Islami, according to the indictment.

Jeffrey Addicott, director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University School of Law, said the fact that Dhakane has been convicted of the lesser charges and none of the more serious allegations shows that federal officials are moving early against suspected security risks without waiting to develop fuller cases involving terrorism.

"On the other hand, there are obviously many untraced and probably untraceable individuals that have entered the U.S. from his efforts. Bottom line is that this case reflects the reality of how easy it is to enter the U.S. through the southern border and the fact that radical Islamic extremists have entered the nation and will continue to do so," Addicott said.

The indictment also alleges he lied when he told officials that a young girl was his wife, when she actually "was a smuggling client" whom he had never married and "repeatedly raped and impregnated prior to coming to the United States." He threatened to have the girl murdered if U.S. officials learned of the truth, according to the indictment.

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Fed ... 65804.html

A Justice Department memo and other documents obtained by the San Antonio Express-News said federal authorities believe that Ahmed Muhammed Dhakane helped "violent jihadists" slip across the border, but they don’t know where they are now.

I believe that if the "violent jihadist" perpetrate a terror attack the DOJ and DHS and the rest of the dministration that obstructs border security, yeah you Harryand Nancy , will be completely responsible because they are unwilling to close the border and continually keep the BP to stretched out and understaffed. JMO.

This seems to contradict Napolitano's recent statements that the border is more secure than ever.