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| Fifth Column |
| Pennsylvania Man Confused, Thought He Was In Middle East |
| 2005-05-23 |
| HOUSTON - A 68-year-old Pennsylvania man was arrested on charges he tried to build a bomb and sell it to an agent he thought was a member of Al-Qaida, officials said Monday. Ronald Allen Grecula of Bangor, Pa., was arrested Friday in Houston during a meeting with undercover FBI agents, U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby said. During that meeting, Grecula indicated willingness to build and sell an explosive device that was to be used against Americans, officials alleged in court documents. Grecula was set to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon. He has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically al-Qaida, a news release from Shelby's office said. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. He dealt with an undercover officer who he thought was a member of al-Qaida, the release said. A confidential source had introduced the agent to Grecula, it said. Grecula negotiated with the source and later with undercover officers between April and last Friday to build and sell a bomb to terrorist groups targeting the United States, according to court documents. The FBI recorded conversations with Grecula, in which he talked about technical knowledge about building an explosive device, his willingness to put on a demonstration, and the need for all involved to "be careful" as they planned the venture, Shelby said. |
| Posted by:Hupoling Slearong7265 |
| #7 Barbara, as long as the permission letter looks real -- and we discovered the hard way that it has to be notarized, too, but in the end no flights were missed -- the documenent isn't likely to be questioned. But I imagine R.A.G. is on a watch list, now. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-23 21:29 |
| #6 Thanks for the info, Angie. I'd be interested in knowing how he got the kids out of the country. It was my understanding that a parent had to have written permission from the other parent to fly alone with minor kids (due to many parental kidnappings). Maybe I was wrong. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-05-23 20:13 |
| #5 good work, Angie |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-23 19:45 |
| #4 sounds like the morals and ethics of a true Lion Of The Desert™ |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-23 19:44 |
| #3 I love people with unusual names. Ready...set...Google! Hit 1: Abducted children want to go back home. Summary: Ronald Allen Grecula of (unspecified), Pennsylvania abducted his two kids after Thanksgiving and took them to live in Malta. Second links says one of those damned "Have you seen me?" cards led to their recovery. Hit 2: Google cache only, bottom item:
Monique's the ex. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2005-05-23 19:38 |
| #2 Grecula rhymes with Dracula... He was in it for blood? |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-05-23 19:12 |
| #1 hint: middle name is "Allen" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-23 19:01 |