Authors: Hitha Prabhakar
The Department of Homeland Security reported a 41% increase in immigrants from countries known to have large populations of terrorists from al Qaeda and other terrorist groups after 9/11. In March 2010 it was reported that 23 Somali illegal immigrants who had been
apprehended in Mexico and then released in January had ties to the terrorist organization al Shabaab, which has direct ties to al Qaeda.
Many African nations including Somalia are becoming hotbeds of terrorist activity, especially cells that are connected to al Qaeda. What the consumer doesn’t realize is how many everyday products, from discount handbags to clothing to soap, come through these terrorist-mandated channels and into the hands of unsuspecting Americans—until something sets off a news frenzy and makes the threat a global issue.
8. The Political Agenda
High above the dense jungles of Somalia, in an area known as the “highlands” just west of Mogadishu, sits a row of mansion-type custom-built homes. They were recently built and have every comfort—a modern washer and dryer, flat-screen TVs, and a gym and spa for those who like to work out. Outside, armed guards watch over the homes. At first sight, they look as if they belong to government officials.
In reality, the houses belong to Somalians who reside in the U.S. They make millions by selling counterfeit handbags and channeling the profits back to their homeland through a hawala located in a mosque. Chris from the Congo introduces me to his handbag-selling colleague, who shows me a picture of his new home on his cell phone. “We are putting in a swimming pool next month!” exclaims the man as he scrolls through construction pictures. “Praise Allah for all these successes. Nothing would happen without him.”
Historically, fringe groups pursued their political agendas through criminal activities such as kidnapping, extortion, and drug sales. But as retail theft rings became more prevalent and easy to form, criminals have realized that ORC can be a virtually penalty-free enterprise. In late 2007, law enforcement as well as financial crime units started to see an increase in the proceeds of sales from stolen merchandise going directly to fund terrorist organizations.
1
Why the sudden spike?
“Most fringe groups are notoriously two steps ahead of the law,” explains John Tobon, Unit Chief, Financial Programs at the Cornerstone Unit, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Such groups are constantly adapting their business models by exploiting loopholes in the system. Global monetary and charitable institutions are riddled with inefficiencies. Local organizations and charities have become the perfect way for fringe and terrorist groups to capitalize on the sympathies of potential donors. Likewise, the monetary systems tend to be less strict when it comes to charitable giving. Armed with this knowledge, terrorist groups have shielded their illegal transfer of funds by claiming it is for legitimate purposes. The U.S. Tax and Finance Department estimates that 10–20% of dollars funneled out of the U.S. and into charities are on the State Department’s list of illegitimate charities. Globally, billions are funneled to these organizations. And, as fringe groups and terrorist organizations become more technologically savvy and adapt their fund-raising accordingly, the problem is bound to get worse.
Homegrown Terrorism: How Retail Theft and Piracy Has Funded Terrorist Operations
There’s no question that the world has become a more politically charged place after 9/11. Just as homegrown terrorism has gained momentum in federal and state prisons as well as small communities in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, political extremism has gained momentum and is being more prominently displayed on the Internet. Online extremist web sites such as
www.revolutionmuslim.com
,
www.alminbar.com
, and
www.islamicawakening.com
claim to be portals for Muslims to share information about Islam. However, these free information exchange platforms often call for and promote jihad and denounce anyone who doesn’t follow the Islamic path, all
while claiming to help Muslims develop themselves spiritually and reach the level of Ishaan (a level of giving), all in the name of Allah.
2
What’s more, most of these sites get their money from selling stolen merchandise as well as from donations generated by illegally stolen and illegally sold merchandise.
While attending Columbia University, Yousef al-Khattab and Younous Abdullah Mohammed actively preached the notion of having Islamic law in the U.S., the destruction of Israel, and taking al Qaeda’s messages to the masses. From their group,
www.revolutionmuslim.com
was established, in addition to a YouTube channel that had 2,500 people checking out their content. Although it started out as an open, albeit extreme, group, the organization was guided by spiritual leader Abdullah Faisal, a 46-year-old convert to Islam by way of Jamaica. He had been imprisoned for five years for inciting young Muslims to kill Hindus and Jews in England. His powerful sermons (which were broadcast on Revolution Muslim’s web site, YouTube, and another web site dedicated to Faisal’s teachings called
www.islamicjihad.com
) instructed people to drive “terror into the hearts of [infidels] with the best of our abilities with power.”
3
Faisal is also rumored to have recruited potential “soldiers” for the al Shabaab in Somalia, according to Jamaican authorities.
Al-Khattab (who used to go by the name of Joey Cohen, grew up in Brooklyn, and is the son of Jewish parents) noted in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) that the group was supposed to promote the idea of having one united world of Islam, where the
kaffirs
(Muslim nonbelievers) would leave the land of Mohammad.
4
In July 2010, Khattab left the blog, prompted by an incident involving online blogger and Revolution Muslim member Zack Chesser. The American-turned-extremist was arrested by the FBI when they realized Chesser was on his way to Somalia to join the al Qaeda-affiliated and ORC-funded al Shabaab.
“In Islam, we have a principle of loving and hating for the sake of Allah,” said Khattab in an interview with NPR. “They focus on the
hating all the time. When you see youth only talking about the hate, that’s a warning sign.”
5
Revolution Muslim’s blog has clearly written disclaimers on the site. One reads as follows:
The views presented in this article/video do not reflect the views of the RevolutionMuslim.com (RM); rather this article/video is posted only for educational and informational purposes. The blogger [meaning the writer of the blog entry] and RevolutionMuslim.com is not affiliated with any terrorist states or organizations and condemns all forms of terrorism carried out in the name of freedom and democracy.
The disclaimers after every extremist post are included to proclaim that the web site is for informational purposes only (so that the site is protected under the First Amendment and does not get shut down, according to Khattab). Younous Abdullah Mohammed, current editor of the web site, denies that the site fosters and instigates extremist behavior. However, people on the FBI’s “homegrown terrorist” list have been linked to or are members of Revolution Muslim. A week before the Times Square bombing, a contributor by the name of Abu Talhah Al-Amirikee on the blog called out the creators of the TV series
South Park
for depicting the prophet Mohammed in a bear costume:
We have to warn Matt (Stone) and Trey (Parker) that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.
A week later, Faisal Shahzad attempted to detonate a bomb in Times Square.
While Abdullah Mohammed ardently denied that the web site had any connection to the bombing, Shahzad did mention at his trial that he was influenced by the teachings of Abdullah Faisal. (The NYPD and news outlets initially speculated that the bomb was aimed at Viacom and the producers of
South Park
but later announced that
the web site’s anti-
South Park
cyber rant and Shahzad’s attempt were not connected.)
“I neither condone [terrorism] nor condemn it,” said Mohammed in a radio interview with ABC News shortly after Shahzad’s attempted attack. “I think it’s possible that there was retaliation for what your government was doing overseas. The Mujahideen could have very well planted a bomb in Times Square and they are suffering [from] your [U.S.] drone attacks right now in Pakistan [and] if you want to continue bombing villagers in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Yemen, and continue killing the civilians, then you are going to get many incidents that resemble what happened [in Times Square]. That has nothing to do with us.”
6
The actions of Shahzad, as well as suspected New Jersey terrorists Mohamed Mahmood Alessa and Carlos Eduardo Almonte (apprehended before boarding a flight to Somalia by way of Egypt), aren’t as uncommon as people might think. All three men were influenced by extremist web sites and decided to take matters into their own hands when it came to their own religion and waging war against the U.S.
Rebel Kids: Extremist Ideas Financed Through International ORC
“I grew up in a home with hippie parents who didn’t care about anything, especially religion,” said Younas Abdullah Mohammed in a candid conversation with me outside of the arraignment for Alessa and Almonte. “My parents were very hands-off. They didn’t give a shit at all. I think that’s what pushed me to convert to Islam.” When asked why he was at the trial of Alessa and Almonte, who were suspected of heading to Somalia to allegedly join the al Shabaab, Mohammed said he was there to support his “brothers in faith.”
He had never met the two defendants.
The “homegrown terrorism” movement in the U.S. is not unlike most cults. The movement capitalizes on two human vulnerabilities: the yearning to be included in a group, and the ability not to question or see the truth if it’s coming from an “authoritative” source. Much like the two cofounders of Revolution Muslim, Shahzad as well as Alessa and Almonte were no different from those who chose to watch a particular political pundit on television, were brainwashed by serial killer Charles Manson, followed the hippie movement of the 1960s, or become a black-makeup-wearing, vampire-movie-watching goth fangirl. And Muslim extremist groups understand that tapping into a vulnerable person’s need to fit in is a way to garner funding through donations as well as potential recruits for jihad.
“Other countries have seen a similar pattern. First the fringe joins. When it gets dicier is when college-educated, ordinary, white-collar people start taking up the cause,” says a law enforcement source. “They are attractive recruits because they are harder to spot and move about more easily.”
7
The same could be said for Shahzad. By all accounts he looked and acted like a regular 30-something man. Friends and family thought of him as religious but not fanatical. Not until he was in his late 20s did he decide to embrace the extremist view of Islam.
When Things Went Awry
According to court documents, Shahzad’s finances were on the brink of collapse. He received close to $10,000 via a source in Pakistan to fund his attempted attack on Times Square, which included paying $1,300 in cash for the Nissan Pathfinder that contained homemade explosives.
8
Shahzad also worked in conjunction with 44-year-old Mohammad Younis, convicted in September 2010 for running an illegal money transfer business between the U.S. and Pakistan.
Court documents stated that Younis met with Shahzad in Long Island three weeks before the attempted Times Square bombing.
He helped Shahzad obtain $5,000 in funding via an unnamed co-conspirator in Pakistan who Shahzad believed to be with the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP). The TTP is known to get its funding from the smuggling of cigarettes, electronics, counterfeit clothing, handbags, CDs, and DVDs by colluding with the Afghan Trade and Transit (ATT) association. The ATT is known to allow smuggled products into Pakistan by way of Afghanistan
9
and take a fee in exchange for the service. Shahzad also received $7,000 from the same source through another money transfer agent in Long Island—Younis. While both men denied the charges, it was the facilitation of this funding that helped Shahzad collect the necessary tools to create and attempt to detonate a bomb in Times Square.
ORC Funding by Way of Somalia: A Tale of Two Misguided Kids
Ahmed Monsoor, a 30-year-old fellow Muslim who was also at the trial to support Alessa and Almonte, remembers meeting the two at the Dar-ul-Islah Mosque in Teaneck, New Jersey. “The two seemed like badly behaved kids instead of actual religious extremists,” says Monsoor. “I knew Alessa when he was younger, and while he always had behavioral problems, I think they were exacerbated by Almonte.” Monsoor, who converted to Islam almost ten years ago, explains that Alessa had talked about going abroad to Jordan in 2007 and most recently talked about going to Somalia to join the jihad there. “I didn’t take him seriously when he would say things like that. It seemed as if he was trying to make himself sound more important, but no one took him seriously.”
10
The two men allegedly watched numerous videos, lectures, and recordings online about jihad provided by American-born cleric and fugitive Anwar al-Awlaki, which showed attacks by the al Shabaab in Somalia. The men also showed recordings of an undercover NYPD
officer and described how Americans were their enemies and how everybody other than Islamic followers are their enemies and must all be killed. Awlaki was not the only one bringing funds and donations from sympathetic donors to the Somalian cause. Almonte and Alessa were funded by the same means.