Thread: Feds: Imam of radical Sunni Islam killed in FBI raid UPDATE3

Feds: Imam who led radical Sunni Islam...
The Associated Press
2:43 p.m. October 28, 2009

DETROIT — Feds: Imam who led radical Sunni Islam group has been fatally shot in Detroit-area FBI raid.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... dex=190715

I think they are working on "the rest of the story," as Paul Harvey used to say. But I have never seen AP post just headlines. The financial news reports do that: "this firm met or exceeeded expected earnings per share."

Feds: Leader of radical Islam group killed in raid

By ED WHITE, The Associated Press
3:21 p.m. October 28, 2009

DETROIT — Federal authorities in Detroit say they fatally shot the leader of a radical fundamentalist Sunni Islam group after he failed to surrender on several criminal charges.

The U.S. attorney's office says Luqman Ameen Abdullah was killed while exchanging gunfire with federal agents Wednesday at a warehouse in Dearborn.

A court document says Abdullah is an imam, or prayer leader, of a radical group whose primary mission is to establish an Islamic state within the United States. Authorities say he's also known as Christopher Thomas.

The FBI was trying to round up Abdullah and 10 followers on many charges, including conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal possession and sale of firearms.

The FBI says Abdullah regularly preached anti-government rhetoric, and some of his followers converted to Islam while in prison.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... dex=190792

Detroit: FBI kills leader of radical Muslims

Updated 4m ago
By Ben Schmitt, Niraj Warikoo and Robin Erb, The Detroit Free Press

The leader of what federal authorities describe as a fundamentalist group was shot and killed today during a series of raids in Dearborn and Detroit that resulted in federal charges against a dozen men.

Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, also known as Christopher Thomas, was gunned down after refusing to surrender and opening fire when the FBI raided a Dearborn warehouse, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"The eleven defendants are members of a group that is alleged to have engaged in violent activity over a period of many years and known to be armed," according to a joint statement from the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office.

An FBI dog was also killed during one of the raids.

Abdullah and 10 others were charged in a complaint with conspiracy to commit several federal felony crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms and theft from interstate shipments.

A 12th man, A.C. Pusha, was arrested late Wednesday in connection with the investigation. Three of the men who were charged still were at large tonight. One was already in prison.

Seven of the men appeared today in U.S. District Court, said the U.S. Attorney's office. Six of those men appeared on complaints they received or sold good stolen across interstate lines.

Abdullah was the leader of a group which calls itself "Ummah, a group of mostly African-American converts to Islam, which seeks to establish a separate Sharia-law governed state within the United States," the press release states.

"The Ummah is ruled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, who is serving a state sentence… for the murder of two police officers in Georgia."

The case was worked by the FBI, Detroit Police, U.S. Attorney's Office and Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The raids took place at at least two locations today – a warehouse in Dearborn and a home in Detroit.

Three of the suspects are expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Detroit today.

Detroit Police spokesman John Roach and Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad declined to comment. Both said the matter was being handled by FBI.

Group aimed to create an Islamic state

The men arrested in the raid were part of a Detroit mosque where a leader called for "an offensive jihad," according to the criminal complaint.

Luqman Abdullah "regularly preaches anti-government and anti-law enforcement rhetoric," the complaint said.

The complaint says that Abdullah is "a highly placed leader of a nationwide radical fundamentalist Sunni group consisting primarily of African-Americans, some of whom converted to Islam while they were serving sentences in various prisons across the United States. Their primary mission is to establish a separate, sovereign Islamic state ("The Ummah") within the borders of the United States, governed by Shariah law."

'It was like a movie scene for a minute'

Shadi Saad, the owner of Wellcare Pharmacy on Oakman in Dearborn, said he stepped outside before lunchtime to see several people in FBI jackets with guns going toward the warehouse across the street. He heard noises like shots and a short time later a helicopter descended.

"It was like a movie scene for a minute," he said. He opened his business, he said, just 10 days ago. "This isn't the way I wanted it to start."

Feds alerted director of Arab-American group

Imad Hamad, senior national advisor and regional director of the Dearborn-based Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, said he received a call from the head of FBI's Detroit office at midday to tell him about the raid.

Hamad said Special Agent Andrew Arena told him that the case was "solely criminal" and had to do with "smuggling and fraud." Arena revealed few details of the investigation, but said it had been ongoing for about two years, Hamad said.

Hamad added that he didn't know the defendants.

"Agents were trying to chase some people," Hamad said Arena told him about the raid. "They were giving instructions to lay down. He resisted. He pulled a gun. They exchanged fire, he was shot down, killed. A dog … was dead at well."

The warehouse is located near the heavily commercial intersection of Miller and Michigan.

Any link to CAIR called bogus

Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan Council on American-Islamic relations, said Arena called him as well, but never mentioned any connection in the indictment to CAIR.

Walid called any link to CAIR "bogus" as well as any suggestions that the case is terror-related. If several Christians were charged with smuggling and weapons, he said, the public would not jump to conclusions it was motivated by faith. The same should be true in this case.

He also said the deceased man was never a board member or employee of CAIR, nor did he have any business dealings with CAIR.

"I know him as respected imam in the Muslim community."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 ... raid_N.htm

Department of Justice Press Release

For Immediate Release
October 28, 2009 United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Michigan
Contact: (313) 226-9100

Eleven Members/Associates of Ummah Charged with Federal Violations

One Subject Fatally Shot During Arrest

United States Attorney Terrence Berg, Eastern District of Michigan, Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), Detroit, Michigan, and Police Chief Warren Evans, Detroit Police Department (DPD), Detroit, Michigan announced a federal complaint was unsealed today charging Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a.k.a.Christopher Thomas, and 10 others with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including theft from interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the proceeds of arson, illegal possession and sale of firearms, and tampering with motor vehicle identification numbers. The eleven defendants are members of a group that is alleged to have engaged in violent activity over a period of many years, and known to be armed.

In light of the information that the charged individuals were believed to be armed and dangerous, special safeguards were employed by law enforcement to secure the arrests without confrontation. During the arrests today, the suspects were ordered to surrender. At one location, four suspects surrendered and were arrested without incident. Luqman Ameen Abdullah did not surrender and fired his weapon. An exchange of gun fire followed and Abdullah was killed. An FBI canine was also killed during the exchange.

[b]Abdullah was the leader of part of a group which calls themselves Ummah (“the brotherhoodâ€