This is already being invoked by opponents of profiling as an object lesson in the hazards of assuming that Muslims engaging in suspicious activity are up to no good. But you’ll notice that there is still a great deal unexplained in the case; and anyway if Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan are loyal Americans, surely they would prefer to be inconvenienced rather than to see the country suffer another jihad terror attack. An update on this story from AP:
(AP) MARIETTA, Ohio Prosecutors dropped terrorism charges Tuesday against two Michigan men who were arrested after buying large numbers of cell phones, saying they couldn’t prove a terrorism link.
The dismissal, in a one-page court document, came the day after Washington County Prosecutor James Schneider said he didn’t have enough evidence to present the felony charges to a grand jury.
Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan, both of Dearborn, Mich., left prison after paying a reduced bond on the remaining misdemeanor counts of falsification.
“We know it was just a matter of time. We were just hoping it wouldn’t be forever,” Abulhassan said. “Everybody knew we were innocent. We knew we were innocent.”
The remaining counts stem from allegations that the two men initially gave deputies different names than appeared on their IDs. The men also initially said they were buying phones for a relative’s construction business, then changed the story when deputies asked for contact information, Schneider said.
Schneider said his office and federal authorities don’t believe “the defendants pose an imminent threat at this time.”
But he said the investigation remains open and he could still present evidence to a grand jury to pursue terrorism-related charges….
In Ohio, Houssaiky and Abulhassan were stopped by sheriff’s deputies for a traffic violation Aug. 8, then arrested after the deputies found 12 cell phones, $11,000 cash, airplane passenger lists and information on airport security checkpoints in their car, authorities said.