An “Algerian man” and a “Pakistani citizen.” But Pamela Geller is quite right: “It transcends borders, nationalities, continents …… the ideology trumps all. Which is why I find it so amusing when news reports identify the country (Moroccan man, Pakistani, Algerian, blah, blah) because their nationality is as relevant as the color of their shoes.”
“Jihad Jane Conspirators Indicted in Philadelphia for Supporting Terrorists,” by Sophia Pearson for Bloomberg, October 20 (thanks to Pamela Geller):
Two people were indicted in Philadelphia on charges they supported terrorists in the “Jihad Jane” terror plot.
Ali Charaf Damache, 46, an Algerian man who resided in Ireland, and Mohammad Hassan Khalid, 18, a Pakistani citizen residing in Maryland, with one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Damache was also charged with one count of attempted identity theft to facilitate an act of international terrorism, Philadelphia U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said today in a statement….
Damache, also known as “theblackflag” and Khalid allegedly helped Colleen LaRose, also known as Jihad Jane, provide logistical and financial support and recruitment services in a plot to kill overseas. LaRose pleaded guilty in February on charges she plotted to recruit terrorists and murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. She is awaiting sentencing with another woman, Jamie Paulin Ramirez, who pleaded guilty in March to charges she conspired with LaRose to support and train terrorists.
Extradition From Ireland
Prosecutors intend to seek Damache’s extradition from Ireland where he was arrested in March last year on unrelated charges. Khalid, who was arrested in Ellicott City, Maryland, in July, will make his first court appearance next week. If convicted Damache faces as much as 45 years in prison and Khalid faces a potential sentence of 15 years, prosecutors said….
According to the indictment, Damache and Khalid helped devise and coordinate a “jihad” organization of men and women from Europe and the U.S. The group was divided into teams for planning, research, action, recruitment and finance, prosecutors said in the statement. Some traveled to South Asia for explosives training and returned to Europe to “wage violent jihad,” prosecutors said. The group allegedly sought women who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe.