COLUMBUS, Ohio — A convicted Ohio terrorist had ties to a man convicted of plotting an attack on a French island as well as an al-Qaida suspect who met with some of the Sept. 11 hijackers and told them how to reach Afghanistan to train for jihad, according to a federal court ruling.
Guantanamo Bay detainee Mohamedou Ould Salahi sent Christopher Paul a fax in 1997 asking for advice on where to send would-be jihadists, or holy warriors, and later referred to Paul as "a man of great respect in Al-Qaida," according to the ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge James Robertson in the District of Columbia.
Federal prosecutors had previously acknowledged the fax but had never said who sent it.
Robertson's order referred to the fax as a key piece of the government's evidence about Salahi's recruitment for al-Qaida.
Salahi met Paul in Afghanistan in 1992, apparently had contact with him in Germany in 1998 and then called him twice from Canada in 1999, according to Robertson's order.
The ruling by Robertson supported a previous order that the government release Salahi. Messages left with Paul's trial attorney and with the U.S. attorney's office in Columbus, which prosecuted him, were not immediately returned Monday.
The 9/11 Commission report says Salahi was known to U.S. and German intelligence a decade ago and was living in Germany when he gave instructions to four men about how to reach Afghanistan to train for jihad.
Three of the men later became Sept. 11 hijackers – Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al Shehhi. The fourth was Ramzi Binalshibh, who helped coordinate the 9/11 plot and now faces trial.
Salahi was arrested in his home country of Mauritania late in 2001.
Springboro Tea Party leader sought by police
By Ed Richter, Staff Writer
Updated 2:54 PM Tuesday, April 13, 2010
FRANKLIN — The founder of the Springboro Tea Party, who recently created a firestorm after making racist remarks on his group’s Twitter account, is being sought by Franklin police for violating a temporary protection order.
Charges were signed after 1 p.m. today, April 13 by Franklin police for Brian “Sonny” Thomas, 37, 149 N. Main St., Springboro, after he went to the home of the woman who is the mother of his son.
Franklin Police Chief Gordon Ellis said Springboro police have been notified that Thomas was wanted on the first-degree misdemeanor charge.
The charge stems from an incident that happened around 11:02 a.m. Monday, April 12 at 596 Bunker Court in the Franklin Commons apartment complex.
Alana Turner, 36, called police to report Thomas was at the residence and there was a protection order against him being near her. The protection was issued on Dec. 30 by the Warren County Domestic Relations Court.
Thomas was organizing the Springboro Tea Party’s second rally when a racist comment on the group’s Twitter page prompted local and statewide candidates to distance themselves from his group, while maintaining support for the national Tea Party movement.
Thomas said he texted the remark to the Web site in March, while attending a health care rally in Washington D.C., where he was heckled by supporters of amnesty for illegal immigrants.
“I take full responsibility for the action and it was not my intention to be insensitive. While it is never appropriate to make such a facetious comment, I hope that we can put this issue behind us for the greater good,” he said in the posting at http://www.SpringboroTeaParty.com.
Thomas, a candidate to represent his precinct on the county GOP’s central committee, posted the comment explaining the racially insensitive statement after a handful of candidates for state and local offices cited the remark in withdrawing from the rally set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at North Park in Springboro.
In a phone interview, Thomas denied ever bruising his son, as was alleged in a domestic violence child protection order, and emphasized his anger was focused on illegal immigrants, not legal American citizens with mixed heritage, like his son.
Despite the cancellations, Thomas said he continued to get support for his group and the rally.
“I’ve had more support than anything else,” he said. “Everything’s a go.”
http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/springboro-tea-party-leader-sought-by-police-650515.html
April 13th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
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