Although it is not mentioned in this article, I believe there were real concerns about whether all of these men, or, at least, their parents, originally entered the United States legally.


October 30 6:50 PM EDT

FORT DIX JURY HEARS FUEL TRUCK MENTIONED AS WEAPON

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press Writer




CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) -- Jurors in the trial of five men accused of plotting an attack on a New Jersey Army base listened Thursday to recordings of one defendant discussing driving a fuel truck into a building and firing on people in a picnic area.

For the third straight day, the trial was dominated by recordings made by federal informant Mahmoud Omar, a native of Egypt with a sketchy past who is being paid $1,500 weekly for his cooperation.

Many of the conversations involve suspect Mohamad Shnewer, now 23, a cabdriver and college dropout who drove with Omar to Fort Dix and Delaware's Dover Air Force Base in August 2006.

The government says that attacking the Army post in New Jersey was Shnewer's idea, and that the defendants were inspired by al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. Defense lawyers contend that Shnewer was dragged into the plot by Omar - and that the four other suspects were unaware of their plan.

All five defendants are foreign-born Muslims in their 20s who spent years in southern New Jersey. They are charged with conspiracy to murder military personnel, attempted murder and weapons offenses. They face life in prison if they are convicted.

In one conversation jurors heard Thursday - recorded in August 2006 - Shnewer and Omar agree that the best way to attack the U.S. would be by hijacking a fuel tanker and driving it into a building. They even agree to go to truck-driving school to prepare.

A month later, though, they talked specifically about a different type of attack on Fort Dix when they met outside Omar's apartment in Cherry Hill.

Shnewer, who had a collection of jihadist videos on his computer, laid out the details: The men should target a picnic area, shooting for one to two minutes, then run about a quarter-mile to pile into a getaway car that would meet them there. Along the way, they should also fire larger weapons on the Humvees that would come after them. Maybe they would shoot rockets into some buildings on base.

Omar agreed, adding that the men should be equipped with walkie-talkies to communicate. He asked Shnewer who else was on board.

Shnewer said he had spoken with the brothers Dritan, Eljvir and Shain Duka, who are also charged in the alleged plot.

"We all came to the conclusion, whatever happens, we need at least a few months of training - at least," Shnewer says.

Omar sounds impatient with that.

"This is what I have been telling you, Mohamad, for a few months," he says. "But you wouldn't listen to me."

Daily life keeps intruding on that meeting. Shnewer presents Omar's young daughter with a SpongeBob SquarePants toy; Omar's wife asks Shnewer if he wants something to eat; Omar asks her to take their daughter inside.

On that occasion, as on others, Omar asks if he can speak directly with Eljvir Duka, who also goes by the name Sulayman.

"I have told you on many occasions, Mohamad, that I need to talk to Sulayman," Omar says. "I want to tell him, 'Listen, Sulayman, me and Mohamad, we have a plan. Are you with us or not?'"

Shnewer says it's been hard to make connections because the Duka brothers are working on a long, tough roofing job. And he says that Serdar Tatar, the fifth man on trial, has gotten married and moved to Philadelphia.

Eventually, Omar does have individual conversations with some of the other men. Those conversations are not as explicit as the talks involving Shnewer.

When Omar and Eljvir Duka talk in November 2006, for instance, Omar asks about getting a fatwa - or religious permission. But it's never clear from the words in their exchange exactly what it would be for.

In another conversation, Omar mentions Fort Dix to Tatar, who doesn't indicate that he knows why Omar is mentioning it.

Still, Tatar, a 7-Eleven clerk, says he'll get Omar a map of Fort Dix from his father's pizza shop near the base.

The jury had already heard that the map was found in Shnewer's closet after the men were arrested in May 2007.

The trial is to resume Monday.

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