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Terrorism-Related Convictions Since Sept. 11, 2001



WASHINGTON, D.C. (FBI) – The highest priority of the Department of Justice since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 has been to protect Americans by preventing acts of terrorism. The Department’s efforts include a number of successful prosecutions of criminal cases that result from international terrorism investigations.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, and as of June 22, 2006, 261 defendants have been convicted or have pleaded guilty in terrorism or terrorism-related cases arising from investigations conducted primarily after Sept. 11, 2001. Those cases have an international connection, including certain investigations conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces and other cases involving individuals associated with international terrorists or Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The charges in these terrorism or terrorism-related convictions include a variety of crimes, such as:

  • Terrorist acts abroad against U.S. nationals, terrorism transcending national boundaries
  • Hostage taking
  • Aircraft piracy
  • Conspiracy within the United States to murder, kidnap or main persons or damage property overseas
  • Providing material support to terrorists, providing material support to designated terrorist organizations
  • Prohibitions against financing of terrorism, violations of the International Emergency Economic Protection Act (IEEPA) harboring terrorists
  • Terrorist attacks against mass transportation systems use, possession and conspiracy involving biological, nuclear, chemical or other weapons of mass destruction
  • Conspiracy to conduct bombings of places of public use, government facilities, public transport systems and infrastructure
  • Participation in nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats to the United States
  • Receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization immigration, visa or document fraud
  • False statements in connection with a terrorism investigation

In addition to these convictions, there are approximately 180 other defendants who have been charged since Sept. 11, 2001, in connection with terrorism or terrorism-related investigations. Those cases are either still pending in federal courts, or have not resulted in criminal convictions, such as acquittals or dismissals, or the defendants are fugitives or are awaiting extradition.

Related Articles:

** Examples of Terrorism Convictions Since Sept. 11, 2001
** Press Conference with Attorney General Gonzales Announcing Florida Terrorism Indictments

Examples of Terrorism Convictions Since Sept. 11, 2001



Below are examples of some of the convictions obtained by the Department of Justice in terrorism cases since Sept. 11, 2001:

Hassan Moussa Makki (Eastern District of Michigan) – In September 2003, Hassan Makki pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and providing material support to Hizbollah in conjunction with the Mohammed Hammoud case in Charlotte, NC. Makki was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

Richard Reid (District of Massachusetts) – British national Richard Reid was sentenced to life in prison following his guilty plea in January 2003 on charges of attempting to ignite a shoe bomb while on an airplane from Paris to Miami. Reid was subdued by passengers on the Dec. 22, 2001 American Airlines flight before he could ignite the explosives.

John Walker Lindh (Eastern District of Virginia) – Lindh pleaded guilty in July 2002 to one count of supplying services to the Taliban and a charge that he carried weapons while fighting on the Taliban’s front lines in Afghanistan against the Northern Alliance. Lindh was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Lackawanna Six: Shafal Mosed, Yahya Goba, Sahim Alwan, Mukhtar Al-Bakri, Yasein Taher , Elbaneh Jaber (Western District of New York) – Six defendants from the Lackawanna, New York area pleaded guilty to charges of providing material support to al Qaeda, based on their attendance at an al Qaeda terrorist training camp. The defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from seven years to 10 years in prison.

Portland Cell: Maher “Michael” Hawash, October Martinique Lewis, Habis Abdullah Al-Saoub, Patrice Lamumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Jeffrey Leon Battle (District of Oregon) – The defendants in the so-called “Portland Cell” case pleaded guilty to criminal charges ranging from laundering money to conspiracy to supply goods to the Taliban, to seditious conspiracy. Ford and Battle were each sentenced to 18 years in prison. The charges resulted from an investigation into the defendants’ training for preparation to fight violent jihad in Afghanistan.

Earnest James Ujaama (Western District of Washington) – Pursuant to a cooperation agreement, Earnest James Ujaama was sentenced to two years in jail in February 2004 following his guilty plea on a charge of conspiring to supply goods and services to the Taliban in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Sayed Mustajab Shah, Ilyas Ali, Muhammed Abid Afridi (Southern District of California) – In April 2006, Muhammed Abid Afridi was sentenced to 57 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and hashish and one count of providing material support to terrorists. Afridi was arrested in September 2002 and indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2002 along with co-defendants Sayed Mustajab Shah and Ilyas Ali for their involvement in an international drugs-for-weapons program. Shah’s sentencing is scheduled for June 2006. Ali was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

Carlos Ali Romero Valera, Uwe Jensen, Edgar Fernando Blanco Puerta, Elkin Alberto Arroyave Ruiz, Carlos Adolfo Romero-Panchano, Fanny Cecilia Barrera De-Amaris, Adriana Gladys Mora (Southern District of Texas) – As part of Operation White Terror, Carlos Ali Romero Valera, Uwe Jensen, Edgar Fernando Blanco Puerta, and Elkin Alberto Arroyave Ruiz were convicted on charges of supplying material support to a terrorist organization (the United Self-Defense Forces (AUC) of Colombia) through a weapons-for-drugs deal. In December 2005, Fanny Cecilia Barrera de Amaris and Carlos Adolfo Romero-Panchano were convicted on charges of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Both were extradited in 2004 and pleaded guilty. Barrera de Amaris was sentenced to five years and one month in prison while Panchano was sentenced to three years. Adriana Gladys Mora was convicted in January 2004 of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization and distributing cocaine.

Iyman Faris (Eastern District of Virginia) – In October 2003, Iyman Faris was sentenced to 20 years in prison for providing material support and resources to al Qaeda and conspiracy for providing the terrorist organization with information about possible U.S. targets for attack. Faris pleaded guilty in May 2003.

Virginia Jihad: Masoud Ahmad Khan, Seifullah Chapman, Hammad Abdur-Raheem (Eastern District of Virginia) – In the Virginia Jihad case, Masound Ahmad Khan was convicted in March 2004 of eight charges including conspiracy to levy war against the United States; providing support to the Taliban and conspiracy to provide support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET); and gun violations. He was later sentenced to life in prison. Hammad Abdur-Raheem was convicted on three charges of providing material support to LET, firearms and conspiracy charges, and later sentenced to 52 months in prison on each count. Seifullah Chapman was convicted on five counts, including conspiracy to provide material to LET and weapons charges, and later sentenced to 780 months in prison.

Virginia Jihad: Aatique Mohammed, Donald Thomas Surratt, Khwaja Mahmood Hasan, Yong Ki Kwon, Randall Todd Royer, Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi (Eastern District of Virginia) – Also in the Virginia Jihad case, these six defendants pleaded guilty to various charges, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and weapons violations, and were sentenced to terms ranging from 46 months to 20 years in prison.

Virginia Jihad: Ali Al-Timimi (Eastern District of Virginia) – Al-Timimi was convicted in April 2005 on all 10 charges brought against him in connection with the “Virginia Jihad” case. Al-Timimi, a spiritual leader at a mosque in Northern Virginia, encouraged other individuals at a meeting to go to Pakistan to receive military training from Lashkar-e-Taibi, a designated foreign terrorist organization, in order to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Al-Timimi was sentenced to life in prison.

Abdurahman Alamoudi (Eastern District of Virginia) – In October 2004, Alamoudi was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his activities in the United States and abroad with nations and organizations that have ties to terrorism. In September 2003, Alamoudi was arrested at Dulles International Airport and pleaded guilty in July 2004 to three federal offenses: violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; false statements made in his application for naturalization; and a tax offense involving a long-term scheme to conceal from the IRS his financial transactions with Libya and his foreign bank accounts and to omit material information from the tax returns filed by his charities.

Hamant Lakhani (District of New Jersey) – British national Hemant Lakhani was convicted by a federal jury on charges of attempting to sell shoulder-fired missiles to what he thought was a terrorist group intent on shooting down U.S. airliners. Lakhani was sentenced to 47 years in prison.

Mohammed Junair Babar (Southern District of New York) – In June 2004, Mohammed Junaid Babar, a naturalized American originally from Pakistan, pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiring to provide material support to Al Qaeda. He is awaiting sentencing.

Lynne Stewart, Mohammed Yousry, Ahmed Abdel Sattar, (Southern District of New York) – In February 2005, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted attorney Lynne Stewart, Mohammed Yousry, and Ahmed Abdel Sattar on charges including providing, and concealing the provision of, material support or resources to terrorists. The defendants were associates of Sheikh Abdel-Rahman, leader of the terrorist organization Islamic Group (IG), who is serving a life sentence for his role in terrorist activity, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

Rafil Dhafir, Osameh Al-Wahaidy, Ayman Jarwan (Northern District of New York) – In February 2005, a federal jury convicted Dhafir of participating in a conspiracy to unlawfully send money to Iraq and money laundering. Dhafir was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Al-Wahaidy and Jarwan pleaded guilty to charges in the same case.

Mohammad Ali Hasan Al-Moayad, Mohammed Moshen Yahya Zayed (Eastern District of New York) – In March 2005, a federal jury convicted Al-Moayad, a Yemeni cleric, and Zayed on charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda and Hamas. Al-Moayad was sentenced to 75 years in prison; Zayed was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Zacarias Moussaoui (Eastern District of Virginia) – In April 2005, Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six charges against him related to his participation in the September 11th conspiracy. In May 2006, Moussaoui was sentenced to life in prison.

Basman Elashi, Bayan Elashi, Ghassan Elashi, Hazim Elashi, Ihsan Elashi (Northern District of Texas) – In April 2005, a federal jury convicted Basman, Bayan and Ghassan Elashi, and the Infocom Corporation, on charges of conspiracy to deal in the property of a specially designated terrorist and money laundering. The activities were related to Infocom, an Internet Service provider believed to be a front for Hamas. Hazim and Ihsan Elashi were also convicted in the same case and were sentenced to 66 months and 72 months in prison, respectively.

Mark Robert Walker (Western District of Texas) – In April 2005, Walker was sentenced to two years in prison for aiding a terrorist organization. He was indicted in December 2004 and pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to make a contribution of goods and services to a designated terrorist organization (Al-Ittihad Al-Isiami in Somalia).

Carlos Gamarra-Murillo (Middle District of Florida) – In August 2005, Gamarra-Murillo was sentenced to 25 years in prison for engaging in the business of brokering and exporting defense articles without a license and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization (FARC). Gamarra-Murillo was charged in April 2004 and pleaded guilty in February 2005.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali (Eastern District of Virginia) – In November 2005, a federal jury convicted Ali on all counts of an indictment charging him with terrorism offenses, including providing material support and resources to al Qaeda, conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States, conspiracy to commit air piracy and conspiracy to destroy aircraft. Ali was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Uzair Paracha (Southern District of New York) -- Paracha was convicted in November 2005 on charges of providing material support to al Qaeda. Evidence at trial demonstrated that Paracha agreed with his father and two al Qaeda members to provide material support to al Qaeda by, among other things, trying to help an al Qaeda member re-enter the United States to commit a terrorist act.

Hamid Hayat (Eastern District of California) – On April 25, 2006, a federal jury in Sacramento convicted Hamid Hayat of Lodi, California, of one count of providing material support or resources to terrorists and three counts of lying to the FBI in a terrorism investigation. The jury found that Hayat provided material support to terrorists by attending a jihad training camp overseas, and that he attempted to conceal his training from the FBI. Hayat faces up to 39 years in prison; sentencing is scheduled for July 2006.

Ali Asad Chandia and Mohammed Ajmal Khan (Eastern District of Virginia) – On June 6, 2006, Ali Asad Chandia was found guilty on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to Lashkar e Taiba (LET). This case resulted from the continuation of the Virginia Jihad investigation. All four counts of the indictment rested upon the premise that Chandia and Mohammed Ajmal Khan conspired to provide, and did provide, material support to LET both before and after it was designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Chandia met Khan, a senior official and procurement officer for LET, at an office of that organization in Pakistan in late-2001. Khan traveled to the United States in 2002 and 2003 to acquire equipment for Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Chandia assisted him in these efforts both times.

A jury found Chandia guilty of three of the four counts of the indictment.Chandia’s sentencing is set for August 18, 2006. Khan is serving a nine-year sentence in the UK on terrorism charges; the U.S. will seek his extradition at the conclusion of that sentence.

(Source: FBI)