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| Seventh Member of ’Lackawanna Six’ in Custody in Yemen |
| 2004-01-29 |
| The last member of a group of Yemeni-American men from western New York sought by U.S. authorities for attending an al-Qaeda training camp has been taken into custody in Yemen, according to a newspaper report. Jaber Elbaneh was being held by Yemeni authorities, and negotiations are under way for extradition, The New York Times reported in a story for Thursday editions. Oops, it’s a NYT story. We’ll have to wait for a real newspaper for confirmation, I’ll check the National Enquirer. Six men from Lackawanna pleaded guilty last year to aiding a terrorist organization by attending the camp in Afghanistan in 2001. In December, 31-year-old Sahim Alwan was the final member of the ’Lackawanna Six’ sentenced to prison, a term of 9 1/2 years. Alwan, along with Faysal Galab, Mukhtar al-Bakri, Yasein Taher, Yahya Goba and Shafal Mosed, accepted plea bargains which compelled them to cooperate in government terrorism investigations. Authorities said there was no evidence the Lackawanna group was involved in planning or participated in any terrorist act. But the investigation into the recruiters, financiers and others who may have traveled with the group continues. Those are the important players. In their pleas, all six described weapons and explosives training and a bin Laden speech to trainees about men on a mission to attack America. A $5 million reward was offered for Elbaneh. Unlike the others, he never returned to Lackawanna after his training in the spring and summer of 2001, investigators said. Which makes him a "person of interest". Lawyers for the Lackawanna Six have said the men were victims of high-pressure recruiters who appealed to their sense of religious duty in convincing them to seek military-style jihad training. Guess you figured that wouldn’t fly with a jury, hence the guilty pleas. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Lawyers for the Lackawanna Six have said the men were victims of high-pressure recruiters who appealed to their sense of religious duty in convincing them to seek military-style jihad training. Is this the Jihadi version of "Be All That You Can Be"? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-1-29 11:18:00 PM |
| #4 Oops, it’s a NYT story. We’ll have to wait for a real newspaper for confirmation, I’ll check the National Enquirer. There's always the NYT Corrections page. Motto: "All of Last Week's News that we slanted in print quietly corrected today." |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-1-29 5:41:19 PM |
| #3 "It's tough on the families," said Mohamed Albanna, an uncle who lives in Lackawanna. Not as tough as it is on the families who are victims of these perpetrator's attacks. Albanna said some relatives believe Elbaneh has turned himself in to Yemeni authorities. That's probably not his best move, but hey, I wouldn't tell him any differently. "That's the murky information we can get," he said. Count yourself as very lucky you are getting ANY information at all. AmCit or not, my view would be: let him rot. |
| Posted by: TerrorHunter4Ever 2004-1-29 1:54:05 PM |
| #2 So, if he turns himself in, his family gets the money? Sweet deal. You go to prison, it's the best for the family. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-1-29 1:29:33 PM |
| #1 Additional from Newsday: Unidentified officials told The New York Times that Elbaneh was being held by Yemeni authorities, and negotiations are under way for extradition. FBI officials in Buffalo, however, said Thursday they had not been told of Elbaneh's capture. "He is still treated as a fugitive by the FBI," spokesman Paul Moskal said. "People who are in custody are removed from fugitive status." Unconfirmed reports of Elbaneh's arrest have circulated since early December. Family members said they have been calling friends and family in Yemen trying to learn the truth. "It's tough on the families," said Mohamed Albanna, an uncle who lives in Lackawanna. Albanna said some relatives believe Elbaneh has turned himself in to Yemeni authorities. "That's the murky information we can get," he said. "But we're waiting to hear from our local officials whether it's true or not." I guess we need to mark his reported capture as "questionable". |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-1-29 12:29:08 PM |