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| VA-11: What is the Paintball Case? |
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24/07/2004
Defendent Hamad Abdurraheem with a copy of the Quran
Last summer 2003, 11 young men mostly from the Washington metropolitan area were arrested and charged with conspiring to wage war against an ally of the United States, namely India.
Federal prosecutors alleged that the group was preparing to join the Lashkare- Taiba, a mujahideen group that is fighting the Indian occupation of Kashmir and that was placed on the U.S. terrorist list after 9/11. Scores of homes and offices were raided, and many community members were detained and questioned (some for several months) in the course of the federal action.
Most legal experts say the government built its case on circumstances and tenuous associations. For example, the group of Muslim men, most in their late twenties or early thirties, gathered together to play a popular recreational activity called ‘Paintball’; prosectors charge that the Paintball was in fact military training.
Six of the 11 defendants pleaded guilty to lesser charges early this year; their sentences range from 2 years to 20 years. Statements made by some of the men led prosecutors to submit new, more serious charges against the remaining 5 defendants — charges linking some of them to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Asif Ghafoor of the National Liberty Fund said that the ‘Virginia Jihad Network’ case is politically motivated. Many legal experts agree.
Of the five defendants who maintained their innocence and who went to trial this month, three were convicted of conspiracy and weapons charges that carry mandatory federal sentences. Masoud Ahmad Khan, Seifullah Chapman, and Hammad Abdur-Raheem face jail time of about 90, 30, and 15 years respectively when they are sentenced in June. Sabri Ben Kahla and Khalif Basha were acquitted of all charges. Community activists and the defendants’ families said they will appeal the decision, which was rendered by a judge rather than a jury at the defendants’ request.
THE FINAL CHARGES
The brothers were charged with counts ranging from conspiracy charges to firearms violations. All 3 brothers pleaded INNOCENT to all charges, however they were convicted of the following:
Seifullah Chapman
Conspiracy
Conspiracy to contribute material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Conspiracy to possess and use firearms in connection with a crime of violence
Using firearm in connection with a crime of violence
Hammad Abdur-Raheem
Conspiracy
Conspiracy to contribute material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Conspiracy to possess and use firearms in connection with a crime of violence
Masoud Ahmad Khan
Conspiracy
Conspiracy to levy war against the U.S.
Conspiracy to contribute services to the Taliban
Conspiracy to contribute material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Conspiracy to possess and use firearms in connection with a crime of violence
Using firearm in connection with a crime of violence
SOURCE: The Muslim Link |
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