USA: NEW YORK CITY MAN CHARGED WITH OFFERING TO TRAIN AL QAEDA OPERATIVES IN MARTIAL ARTS

Record ID: 559054

  • Title: USA: NEW YORK CITY MAN CHARGED WITH OFFERING TO TRAIN AL QAEDA OPERATIVES IN MARTIAL ARTS
  • Date: 2nd June 2005
  • Summary: (AMERICA) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA (MAY 31, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. LAS TILT DOWN SLV U.S. FEDERAL COURT HOUSE; U.S. FLAG OUTSIDE COURT 0.11 2. SCU COURT SKETCH SHOWING PROSECUTOR, VICTOR HUO (LEFT) DEFENDANT, TARIK SHAH (MIDDLE) AND HIS WIFE, ZAKKIYYAH SHAH 0.16 3. MV ZAKKIYYAH SHAH AND DEFENCE LAWYER, ANTONY RICCO (RIGHT) LEAVING COURT; SL
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVACHSBK89OAFB4ZPLLZVMTJCCAI
  • Story Text: New York City man charged with offering to train Al
    Qaeda operatives in martial arts; defence slams FBI "sting"
    operation.

    A New York martial arts expert, who is charged
    with conspiring to help train al Qaeda members, is the
    victim of a "desperate prosecution on the government's
    behalf," his lawyer said on Tuesday (May 31, 2005).

    Tarik Ibn Osman Shah was arrested on Friday (May 27) in
    New York after a two year sting operation in which
    prosecutors said he had been taped pledging support to
    Osama bin Laden. He is charged with one count of conspiring
    to provide material support to al Qaeda, a designated
    foreign terrorist organization.

    Shah, who is also a professional jazz musician, was
    presented briefly in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday
    (May 31) and was held without bail. After the session, his
    lawyers told reporters they planned to review the tapes.

    Asked by reporters if this is a case of entrapment and
    overzealous prosecution, Antony Ricco, Shah's defense
    lawyer said, "Well it's a sting operation and one thing our
    country is good in, we are real good when it comes to
    setting up people in these cases. When it comes to trying
    to do something other than that we seem to be lousy at
    that."
    He said Shah would not have been targeted at all if he
    weren't a Muslim.

    A federal complaint against Shah and another defendant,
    Rafiq Sabir, a doctor, was filed on Friday (May 27) in Manhattan
    federal court. Sabir was arrested in Boca Raton, Florida.

    Ricco said the men were "long-time" friends.

    Prosecutors allege that between 2003 and this month, the
    two men had multiple meetings and conversations with a
    confidential source and an undercover FBI agent, who was
    acting as an al Qaeda recruiter.

    During the meetings, Shah agreed to provide martial arts
    and hand-to-hand combat training to al Qaeda members while
    Sabir agreed to give medical help to wounded jihadists in
    Saudi Arabia, the complaint alleged. However, there are no
    allegations that either man actually provided support to
    terrorists.

    When questioned why it would take the government two
    years to file a complaint if authorities really thought
    Shah was dangerous, Ricco said, "It makes me wonder what
    they've been talking about for the last two years. If
    somebody really is a threat to our security, what are they
    talking about for two years? So that's a very powerful and
    important fact in this case."
    Around a dozen of Shah's friends were at the court
    hearing, afterwards, one friend, Sailm Washington, said he
    couldn't believe Shah has anything to do with al Qaeda.

    He said, "He's a wonderful person, a wonderful person,
    a peace-loving person."
    If convicted of the one conspiracy charge, each
    defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison
    and a fine of $250,000. The preliminary hearing is set for
    June 28, 2005.
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