Jihad Watch: Terror suspect 'ran jihad web network' from South London

March 3, 2005

Terror suspect 'ran jihad web network' from South London

More on Babar Ahmed, who is accused of trying to set up a jihad training camp in Arizona. From the Times Online, with thanks to all who sent this in:

A BRITISH computer expert ran websites raising cash and recruiting fighters for the Taleban and the Chechen Mujahidin, an extradition hearing was told yesterday.
Babar Ahmad allegedly operated websites in the United States that revealed links to Shamil Basayev, the Chechen leader behind the Beslan school attack. There was also advice on smuggling cash to the Taleban, and Muslims were urged to take arms training for a jihad.

Mr Ahmad, 30, of Tooting, South London, is fighting extradition on five charges stretching from 1997 to 2004 alleging that he used websites to incite the murder of US servicemen in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

At the start of a two-day hearing, John Hardy, for the US Government, said that the websites “sought and invited and solicited contributions to terrorist causes in Afghanistan and Chechnya”.

The material inciting murder in both the countries and elsewhere was “established, operated and maintained by this defendant”, he told Tim Workman, the senior district judge at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court. Muslims were told that “military training is an Islamic obligation, not an option” and it was suggested that they should get hold of weapons such as AK47s.

One of the websites, named after the spiritual teacher of Osama bin Laden, announced that it had been set up “to propagate the cause of jihad among Muslims who are sitting down ignorant”, Mr Hardy said.

An additional note about Arizona: last night after I spoke, a woman in the audience told me about a friend of hers who has a large place here in Arizona. Beginning over ten years ago, she began to find prayer rugs and Arabic texts on the grounds. This phenomenon, of course, has been widely reported -- and this is just another indication of how long jihadists have crossed into the US from Mexico. If Babar Ahmed had been successful, they wouldn't have had to travel far to get to a training camp.

Posted by Robert at March 3, 2005 9:53 AM
Print this entry | Email this entry | Digg this | del.icio.us

Comments
(Note: The Comments section is provided in the interests of free speech only. It is mostly unmoderated, but comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying stand a chance of being deleted. The fact that any comment remains on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch, or by Robert Spencer or any other Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch writer, of any view expressed, fact alleged, or link provided in that comment.)

Hmmm. Does this come under 'Missing the Elephant in the room'?

Arizona is beautiful country. Someday I shall get back to Tuscon, to see the lightning storms in late June (and the Sedona Wildlife Museum, would you believe they have river otters?). In the meantime however, prayer rugs can probably be found on similar properties around there...

http://libertyunites.tv/blog-1225.html

Posted by: Gary

at March 3, 2005 10:09 AM

No doubt Mr. Ahmed will be spared extradition when he is rescued in the 11th hour by Tony and Cherie Blair.

Every vote counts in the upcoming election.

Posted by: Charles Martel

at March 3, 2005 10:18 AM

It will be a little harder, in the future, to read about Babar and Celeste with quite the same blithe spirit as before. Jean De Brunhoff and his comfortable heirs and assigns will, one hopes, understand.

Posted by: Hugh

at March 3, 2005 11:03 AM

That’s odd. It took only hours – not years - to remove an article of mine from a UK bulletin board (http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/) posted by a fellow in the UK. The article asks: why can’t we inquire if Islam is evil when it’s acceptable to call America evil? http://www.liberty-and-culture.com/pages/2/index.htm The article was originally posted on faithfreedom.org and it only examines what is or should be commonly known about Islam. The posters were not particularly pleased when my article was removed by management. After all, can one only say nice things about Islam? Is critical thought banned?

Before the article was removed, I logged onto the board to give a link to suggested references on Islam … and was banned a few hours later. Well, at least they didn’t arrest me like they would in France.

Posted by: JasonP

at March 3, 2005 11:47 AM

OT-

MUST READ:

"Tablighi Jamaat: Jihad's Stealthy Legions"
by Alex Alexiev
Middle East Quarterly

http://www.meforum.org/article/686

Excerpt:

"...Tablighi Jamaat has always adopted an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam, but in the past two decades, it has radicalized to the point where it is now a driving force of Islamic extremism and a major recruiting agency for terrorist causes worldwide. For a majority of young Muslim extremists, joining Tablighi Jamaat is the first step on the road to extremism. Perhaps 80 percent of the Islamist extremists in France come from Tablighi ranks, prompting French intelligence officers to call Tablighi Jamaat the "antechamber of fundamentalism." U.S. counterterrorism officials are increasingly adopting the same attitude. "We have a significant presence of Tablighi Jamaat in the United States," the deputy chief of the FBI's international terrorism section said in 2003, "and we have found that Al-Qaeda used them for recruiting now and in the past."

Posted by: Mike

at March 3, 2005 12:29 PM