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An update on this story. "UTD student convicted of having weapon," by Jason Trahan for the Dallas Morning News:
A University of Texas at Dallas sophomore who prosecutors said longed to join the fight against U.S. forces in the Middle East was convicted by a Houston jury on federal weapons charges Thursday.
Syed Maaz Shah, 20, a Pakistan native majoring in electrical engineering, was convicted of firing an Armalite M-15 assault weapon on two camping trips in January and March in a rural area near Willis, north of Houston.
The FBI says Mr. Shah and other men on the trips were engaged in military training with the ultimate goal to join the jihad, or holy war, against the U.S. overseas.
During his trial this week, Mr. Shah said he was going on fishing trips and didn't know guns would be involved.
"I was invited by my friends to go camping and have a good time, and that's what we had," said Mr. Shah in a letter to the UTD Mercury student newspaper that was published in February. "Isn't it mind-boggling that someone can be placed in prison for merely going to a shooting range? ... I mean, for God's sake, we live in Texas ..."
After a three-day trial in front of U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon in Houston, Mr. Shah was convicted on two counts of alien in possession of a firearm affecting interstate commerce.
Mr. Shah entered the U.S. in 2005 on a student visa and as such was prohibited from possessing a firearm, authorities said. He faces up to 20 years in prison. He will be sentenced Sept. 14.
In late November, he was arrested outside his UTD campus apartment and was transferred to Houston to join three co-defendants who authorities say joined him on the training campouts.
Prosecutors said that when Mr. Shaw was arrested, he told agents he went on the campouts to prepare for "what may come" and described American forces in Iraq as "invaders." During his trial, Mr. Shah denied making those statements.
Extremist materials were found on Mr. Shah's computer, seized by agents in Dallas, prosecutors said. "Statue of Liberty in Burka" reads the name of one file from his computer, according to a government trial exhibit list.
Shiraz Syed Qazi, 26, also in the U.S. on a student visa, was sentenced last week to 10 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm during the campouts.
Adnan Babar Mirza, a 29-year-old Pakistani native, is scheduled for trial in October on federal conspiracy and firearms charges.
A third co-defendant, Kobie Diallo Williams, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen, will be sentenced in October after his November 2006 guilty plea to conspiracy charges related to raising money for the Taliban and gun charges.
Posted by Marisol at May 25, 2007 8:17 PM
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I can see it now...
"Ahhhh! durka durka! Our poor innocent islamists... ooops, I mean, victims!"...blah...blah...blah...
Just expect it.
They even have a web site to launder...ooops, I mean solicit funds for the cases.
http://www.faketerror.com/
RICO, anyone?
(for non-US, that's a play on words. RICO is an acronym for Racketeering,Influence-peddling & Corrupt Organizations Act, previously used to convict the mafiosis here. Why they don't use it for this, and much worse scumbags, like CAIR, is bewildering-it fits to a T).
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at May 25, 2007 8:30 PM
Mr. Shah entered the U.S. in 2005 on a student visa and as such was prohibited from possessing a firearm, authorities said
So why dont the US Government learn from this?
Student Visas need revising and if you come from an OIS Country, you should not get in. If you are Muslim, you should not get in.
Posted by: UK Infidel Lover at May 25, 2007 8:46 PM
Greetings:
Not to worry. Ted Kennedy has a new "comprehensive" immigration bill before Congress. It's much better than the one he had 20 years and 9 million illegals ago.
Me, I off to the rifle range with my AR-15
Posted by: 11B40 at May 25, 2007 8:56 PM
A University of Texas at Dallas sophomore who prosecutors said longed to join the fight against U.S. forces in the Middle East was convicted by a Houston jury on federal weapons charges Thursday.
In the absence of a federal criminal statute against Jihad war terror, why weren't these aspiring murderers charged for some for of conspiracy, such as a RICO charge?
What's good for the Mafia is good for a much larger organized crime gang: Islam.
* 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 *
If that inexorably fortchcoming band of Moslem activists is caught with a nuclear weapon, are the fed prosecutors gonna be charged for violating federal laws prohibiting the transport of dangerous materials across state lines?
Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at May 25, 2007 9:41 PM
So when do they get deported?
Oh wait! Nevermind. I was just trying to think rationally. Silly me.
Posted by: Sheik er' Bouti at May 25, 2007 10:51 PM
"jihad suspect convicted "...
Three little words!
Fast becoming my favourite phrase!
Am waiting for Five little words:
"Jihad suspect convicted and deported".
Posted by: Gramfan at May 25, 2007 11:19 PM
The best one is "hanged by the neck until dead." (so they can't just come back in the future to kill us), but that won't happen for the same reasons they don't get convicted for treason, sedition, espionage, or RICO...the PC war machine is in full war footing, refuse to convict any of our enemies "no matter what" (in their words) and THEIR enemy is US.
at May 25, 2007 11:28 PM
Gramfan
I like even numbers.
How about four words.
Jihad suspect found dead.
As in the movie The Untouchables
You gotta ask yourself.......
What are you prepared to do ?
Cause you already know what THEY are prepared to do.
Again ..WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO ?
at May 25, 2007 11:33 PM
How does the US benefit from granting student visas to Pakistanis and educating them here?
More fundamentally, is the US supposed to benefit or is this charity for to the "oppressed"/"minorities" of the world?
Posted by: george_rem at May 25, 2007 11:53 PM
Freedom
I like even numbers too. Good one!
at May 26, 2007 12:07 AM
Definitely I'd be checking for tunnels holes in the ground!
Posted by: MZ at May 26, 2007 1:42 AM
Muslim boys shear Sikh student's hair in NY
Posted by: Infidel Pride at May 26, 2007 1:42 AM
Kobie Diallo Williams, a US citizen, was the main conspirator and plead guilty to conspiracy, WHY NOT TREASON!!!
Syed Maaz Shah was part of this plot and claimed on the stand that he only went to go fishing! somehow the gun just ended up in his had and fired itself with the intent to wage holy war on US soldiers.
I am amazed that ICNA and WHYISLAM, the organizations these folks belonged to, are still defending them and refuse to distance themselves from the terrorist acts of these men.
Here is a good NEWS CLIP for you guys to watch on this. Maaz was dead serious, he wasnt there to target shoot, hunt or fish. He was there to train for jihad against the US.
http://realterror.wordpress.com/2007/05/24/syed-maaz-shah-conviction-report/
Posted by: Scarecrow at May 26, 2007 3:44 AM
Student visas again--"students" from Moslem countries coming here to study how best to do us in.
The government--not "our" government, it does not reflect the people's wishes nor does it look out for their safety--is determined to let these Moslems in as "students" or whatever.
Homeland security is really not that, and State makes certain that it fulfills its obligations to--you guessed it--the Saudis.
And here we are, solemnly remembering those who have fallen defending us, while sending more to shore up Islamic countries operating under sharia (Iraq, Afghanistan) so that they can be killed over there instead of here at home.
The Administration (not "our" Administration) maintains that if we don't fight them "over there," we will have to fight them over here--they will follow us, etc.
Well, looks as if they already are over here. They do not have to follow our withdrawing troops at all, they are here thanks to State, thanks to Homeland Security, thanks to an Administration that must have a shared IQ average of 80 or less--at least judged by its actions. Unless, there are more sinister reasons for its irrational statements and acts.
Posted by: unicorns62000 at May 26, 2007 4:48 AM
Must be alot of stuff going on in Homeland security we never hear from them! Yet the President's stuff is not quite! How about the Bobanic Plague that has been broken out in Denver?
Posted by: MZ at May 26, 2007 1:03 PM
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