FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRM (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff of the Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Michael Battle of the Western District of New York announced today that Shafal Mosed has pleaded guilty to providing material support to al Qaeda, and will cooperate with the government's terrorism investigation.
Mosed, of Lackawanna, N.Y, is one of six defendants charged in a two-count indictment in the Western District of New York last October with providing material support or resources to al Qaeda. Mosed pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William Skretny at federal court in Buffalo, N.Y., this morning to the second count of the indictment, which charges that from Spring 2001 through August 2001, Mosed and the other defendants knowingly and unlawfully provided and attempted to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda.
The plea agreement signed by Mosed requires his full cooperation in the government's ongoing investigation in this and other terrorism probes.
Mosed is the first person to be convicted of providing material support to a terrorist organization based upon his own attendance at an al Qaeda-affliliated training camp.
Attorney General John Ashcroft praised the efforts of U.S. Attorney Michael Battle and Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff in securing today's plea, the second in the Buffalo cell case, along with the investigative cooperation of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
"Today's second guilty plea obtained in the 'Buffalo cell' case sends a strong message that those who provide their money or services to support America's enemies, even if they are American citizens themselves, will face the full force of America's justice," Ashcroft said. "The Department of Justice will continue to protect innocent Americans from terrorist cells in the United States and we will utilize all resources to track down terrorist threats in this country. I commend the work of the prosecutors and the FBI in securing this conviction." Mosed faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both at sentencing, which is scheduled for July 16, 2003 at 9 a.m.
On Oct. 21, 2002, Mosed was indicted by a federal grand jury in Buffalo, along with co-defendants Yasein Taher, Sahim Alwan, Mukhtar al-Bakri, Yayha Goba and Faysal Galab. The indictment charged the defendants with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists from the spring of 2001 through Sept. 13, 2002, and providing material support from the spring of 2001 through Aug. 2, 2001, for receiving military-type training at the Al Farooq camp affiliated with Usama bin Laden and al Qaeda near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
In court today, Mosed admitted that in April 2001, he attended the Al Farooq terrorist training camp in Afghanistan with the other co-defendants. During this training, Mosed acknowledged receiving instruction in a number of terrorism techniques, including weapons, explosives and tactics. Mosed's plea agreement states that Usama bin Laden also spoke at the camp while Mosed was in attendance, telling the trainees that 50 men were on a suicide mission, and admitting responsibility for previous attacks upon American interests abroad.
Defendant Faysal Galab pleaded guilty in January 2003 to contributing funds and services to specially designated terrorists, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Title 50 USC 1705). Galab's plea deal also requires his full cooperation with government investigations.
The charge Mosed pleaded guilty to, a violation of Section 2339B of Title 18 of the United States Code, prohibits anyone from knowingly providing or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the State Department. Al Qaeda was first designated an FTO in October 1999; that two-year designation was renewed in October 2001. 03-177
Source: US Department of Justice
