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Home Front: WoT
FBI raid six sites in Minneapolis, two in Chicago
2010-09-25
Highlights from various links: the FBI appears to be looking for connections between local anti-war activists and terrorist groups in Colombia and the Middle East. Homes searched include those of Mick Kelly, Jess Sundin, Meredith Aby, Anh Pham, Sarah Martin and Tracy Molm in Minneapolis, and two unknowns in Chicago. Terror groups of interest include FARC, PFLP, Hezbollah. Also of interest are any payments made to one Hatam Abudayyeh, executive director of the Chicago-based Arab American Action Network.


Update: Homes searched in Chicago: of Stephanie Weiner and Joseph Iosbaker, and of Hatem Abudayyeh. Thomas Burke was subpeonaed to face a grand jury, as were the others, according to various reports.
(CNN) -- Political and anti-war activists in the Midwest said they were the target Friday of searches the FBI called part of an investigation into the "material support of terrorism."Warrants led to the search of five residences and one office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said FBI spokesman Steve Warfield, who said there were no arrests. Two other searches were conducted in Chicago, Illinois.

Activist Tom Burke in Chicago said he and others in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan were served subpoenas to testify before a grand jury. He also said computer hard drives were taken from locations in both cities, as well as a cell phone in Minneapolis.

A coalition of groups represented on the Fight Back website released a statement condemning the raids as "harassment."

"We see them as a way to impair our freedom of speech," said Burke, a member of the Colombia Action Network. "We've done nothing wrong."

The coalition came together after a large anti-war protest at the Republication National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2008, Burke said.

Among the groups the activists are involved with are the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, and Students for a Democratic Society, which was active during the Vietnam War.

One of the apartments searched in Minneapolis belongs to Mick Kelly, an anti-war and government protestor. Kelly said the search warrant indicated agents were looking for evidence of his travels to Latin America and Palestine.

Jessica Sundin of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee told CNN agents took a hard drive, paper files, photos, a cell phone and her passport during a search of her Minneapolis residence Friday.
More from the local Chicago CBS affiliate here:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the targets in the Minnesota raids included Jess Sundin, an organizer of a mass march on the opening day of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul two years ago. They also included Mick Kelly, who has announced plans for a march on the Democratic National Convention if Minneapolis is selected to host it in 2012.

Warfield said he couldn't comment on whose homes were searched or give details on why because it's an ongoing investigation. "There's no imminent threat to the community," he said.

An FBI SWAT team entered first "and looked for pointy things. And then they left and the FBI agents came in and looked through everything in the house," Sundin said. The agents took "computers, several boxes of papers, everything related to data like discs," she added.
The Washington Examiner has more details from Ay Pee.
Posted by:trailing wife

#5  long winters and large Scandinavian population make a good breeding ground for socialist ideas
Times have changed - long winters and Scandi babes used to make good breeding grounds, period -- or at least fun attempts.
Posted by: Glenmore   2010-09-25 20:41  

#4  The Twin Cities (Minneapolis) has been a hotbed of communist and anarchists for some time now. The UofM is one of the most left wing universities in the nation.
I believe that SDS -(Students for a Democratic Society)got their start in Minneapolis.
Anyway, I'm not surprised there were raids there.
I guess the long winters and large Scandinavian population make a good breeding ground for socialist ideas & radicals.
Posted by: Mike Hunt    2010-09-25 20:20  

#3  IIRC, it was George Orwell who said "If you are anti-war, you are objectively pro-fascist" during WWII.

The same thing applies today - if you are anti-war, you are objectively pro-terrorist.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2010-09-25 13:09  

#2  "Sorry, ex-professor Ayers doesn't work here anymore. Try the Sunnydale Peoples' Retirement Home and Free Impotency Clinic."
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-09-25 11:10  

#1  Professor Ayers to the white courtesy phone please, Professor Bill Ayers.
Posted by: Besoeker   2010-09-25 07:36  

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