Virginia Jihad Network

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The Virginia Jihad Network was a network of jihadists centered in northern Virginia.

Ali al-Timimi was convicted in 2005 of exhorting his followers to join the Taliban and fight US troops. The young men played paintball in 2000 and 2001 as a means of training for holy war around the globe.[1][2] Found guilty during 2003-4 of various terrorism-related offences were Muhammed Aatique, Hammad Abdur-Raheem, Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi, Seifullah Chapman, Khwaja Hasan, Masoud Khan, Yong Kwon, Randall Todd Royer and Donald Surratt.[3]

Ali Asad Chandia was a third-grade teacher at the Al-Huda School, of Dar-us-Salaam mosque, in College Park, Maryland.[4] Chandia provided material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist organization, and assisted the Network.[5] On June 6, 2006, a jury unanimously found Chandia guilty. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with three years of supervised release at the end of his incarceration[6], on three counts of conspiracy and providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba on August 30, 2006.[7]

Royer acknowledged that he committed his offenses to help other jihadists gain entry to the Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp following a meeting on September 16, 2001, at which an unindicted conspirator said that the September 11, 2001 attacks, would be used as an excuse to trigger a global war against Islam, and that the time had come for them to go abroad and, if possible, join the mujahideen. Three other individuals attending that meeting, Yong Kwon, Muhammed Aatique, and Khwaja Hasan - all of whom pled guilty - stated that they went to the Lashkar-e-Taiba camp to obtain combat training for the purpose engaging in violent jihad in Afghanistan against the American troops that they expected would soon invade that country. Al-Hamdi also admitted to carrying a rocket-propelled grenade in furtherance of a conspiracy to undertake a military operation against India.[3]

Khan, Chapman and Hammad Abdur-Raheem all were convicted of conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and to attack India in violation of the Neutrality Act, as well as of various firearms related offenses, for conduct that spanned from 2000 to 2003.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Barakat, Matthew. "Islamic scholar convicted of advocating war on US", Associated Press, The Boston Globe, 2005-04-27. Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 
  2. ^ Schmidt, Susan. "Spreading Saudi Fundamentalism in U.S.", The Washington Post, 2003-10-03. Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 
  3. ^ a b c "RANDALL TODD ROYER AND IBRAHIM AHMED AL-HAMDI SENTENCED FOR PARTICIPATION IN VIRGINIA JIHAD NETWORK", United States Department of Justice, 2004-04-09. Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 
  4. ^ "Teacher jailed for aiding LeT", Times of India, 26 August 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. "A 29-year-old Maryland man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing support to Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba." 
  5. ^ Terrorism suspect released on bond Diamondback Online
  6. ^ Teacher at College Park school sentenced for aiding terrorists Gazette, Maryland Community Newspapers Online
  7. ^ Hardball Tactics in an Era of Threats The Washington Post