Buffalo Six

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buffalo, NY shown in red. Lackawanna is a small town, just south. On the west is Niagara River strait separating Ontario Province, Canada.

The Buffalo Six (also known as Lackawanna Six, Lakawanna Cell, or Buffalo Cell) is a group of six Yemeni-Americans who were convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda. The six are American citizens by birth.

They had traveled to Afghanistan in spring 2001, before 9/11, while the country was still ruled by the Taliban, who were then giving sanctuary to Osama bin Laden, who in turn used it as a base for al-Qaeda training. According to the charges, the group visited what later became known in the American media as the "al-Farooq terrorist training camp." ^[1]

They were arrested in Lackawanna, New York, near Buffalo, New York in September 2002. On Saturday September 14, 2002, the FBI held a press conference in Buffalo to announce the arrests of five of the local al-Qaeda suspects. The FBI Special Agent in charge of the investigation, Peter Ahearn, stated that there was no specific event triggering the arrests, which followed four to eight months of investigations.^[1]

One of the members, Muktar Al-Bakri, sent an obscure e-mail describing an upcoming "big meal" which would have used explosives. Al-Bakri told the FBI he had overheard talk of an attack and had used code because he was afraid Al-Qaeda was monitoring his e-mail.

Investigators found a rifle, a telescopic sight, and a cassette tape in Al-Bakri's house. Investigators say that when played, the tape "asks Allah to give Jews and their enablers (U.S.) a black day."

All six pleaded guilty in court to terrorism related charges. They were Mukhtar Al-Bakri, Sahim Alwan, Faysal Galab, Shafal Mosed, Yaseinn Taher, and Yahya Goba.

Elbaneh

Another member of the Lackawanna Cell, named Jaber A. Elbaneh, is still at large after joining a successful group prison break in Yemen. He was believed to have fled the United States, and become imprisoned in Yemen. Elbaneh was then named as one of 23 people, 12 of them Al-Qaeda members, who escaped from a Yemeni jail on February 3, 2006.

On February 23, 2006 the U.S. FBI confirmed the escape, as they issued a national Press Release naming Elbaneh as one of the first new additions, since inception in 2001, to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. ^[2]

Ahmed Hijazi aka Jalal aka Kamal Derwish, incinerated in a car with five others by a Hellfire from a CIA Predator in Yemen 2002 November 3, may have been the ringleader/recruiter.^[3]

Yahya Goba and Mukhtar al-Bakri received ten-year prison sentences. Yaseinn Taher and Shafal Mosed received eight-year prison sentences. Sahim Alwan received a nine and a half year sentence. All sentences were for single counts of "providing support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization". In discussing the plea bargain agreements, US prosecutors commented the defendants had cooperated with federal terrorism investigators, providing detailed information on Al-Qaeda membership, training, and methods.

[edit] See also

Detroit Sleeper Cell

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b coldtype.net. Is the Buffalo, NY terrorist cell for real? (pdf), December 14, 2003. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ FBI.gov. FBI national Press Release, RECENT ESCAPEES FROM YEMEN PRISON ADDED TO MOST WANTED TERRORISTS AND SEEKING INFORMATION - WAR ON TERRORISM LISTS, February 23, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
^ cnn.com.