Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > 3 Ohio Muslims found guilty in plot to kill troops in Iraq -verdict hailed as first on 'home-grown' terrorism cell

3 Ohio Muslims found guilty in plot to kill troops in Iraq -verdict hailed as first on 'home-grown' terrorism cell

June 19, 2008

These undated handout photos provided by the Justice Department show, from left, Marwan El-Hindi, Wassim Mazloum and Mohammad Amawi, which the Justice Department said Friday, June 13, 2008, that a federal jury has convicted the three Ohio men of plotting to attack U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The guilty verdicts were returned by a jury in Toledo,Ohio. (AP Photo/Justice Department)

MIM: Note: El Hindi, Mazloum and Amawi were involved with the Kindhearts terror charity which was closed down for funding Hamas.

For complete article see below.

... KindHearts, which had been the subject of a two year Senate investigation into terrorism financing, on the date of February 19, 2006, was abruptly closed down by the United States, with all of its funds effectively frozen. A "blocking notice" from the Treasury Department was taped to the padlocked, decorated glass doors of the West Toledo offices, stating "All property and interests in property of KindHearts for Charitable, Humanitarian Development, Inc., including its U.S. representative office and all other offices worldwide, are blocked pending investigation into whether KindHearts... is being controlled by, acting for, on behalf of, assisting in, or providing financial, or material support to, and/or otherwise being associated with Hamas."

The same day government officials descended on KindHearts, three Toledo-area men were arrested, charged with plotting to carry out terror attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and other overseas targets. One of them had an additional charge of threatening the life of President George W. Bush. The three – Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim Mazloum – had spent over a year weapons training and trying to acquire and/or build explosives, including suicide belts.

3 in Ohio guilty of plot against US troops in Iraq

By JOE MILICIA – 5 days ago

CLEVELAND (AP) — Three Ohio men were convicted Friday of plotting to recruit and train terrorists to kill American soldiers in Iraq, a case put together with help from a former soldier who posed as a radical bent on violence.

Mohammad Amawi, 28, Marwan El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim Mazloum, 27, face maximum sentences of life in prison. Prosecutors said the men were learning to shoot guns and make explosives while raising money to fund their plans to wage a holy war against U.S. troops.

The federal jury in Toledo returned its verdict after three days of deliberations. U.S. District Judge James G. Carr did not set a sentencing date, said acting U.S. attorney Bill Edwards.

"Today's verdicts should send a strong message to individuals who would use this country as a platform to plot attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere," said Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for national security, in a written statement. "This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America's heartland."

Mazloum's attorney, Mo Abdrabboh, said he was preparing an appeal.

"It's been a long, long trial," Abdrabboh said. "We're disappointed, obviously. ... We respect that the jury has spoken, but (Mazloum) has maintained his innocence from the beginning of this."

Messages seeking comment from the other defense attorneys were not immediately returned. At trial they claimed that the three defendants, who all lived in the Toledo area, were manipulated by the government's star witness, Darren Griffin.

The undercover FBI informant and former Army Special Forces soldier recorded the men for about two years beginning in 2004 while they talked about training in explosives, guns, and sniper tactics. They often met in their homes and at a tiny storefront mosque where they prayed together.

Defense attorneys noted that Griffin was involved in all conversations the prosecution presented to the jury, and that there was no evidence of telephone conversations or e-mails dealing with the alleged plot among only the defendants.

Griffin won the trust of the men by posing as a former soldier who grew disenchanted with U.S. foreign policy who was now intent on violence against America. Prosecutors said even Griffin's family had been under the impression that he had become a radical.

Griffin said most people at the mosque shunned him and that no one raised any threats until El-Hindi began talking about kidnapping Israeli soldiers. Amawi, Griffin said, asked him to help him train two recruits from Chicago for holy war.

According to one secret recording made by Griffin, Amawi said he was troubled by the loss of life in New York in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but he quickly added: "Killing Americans in Iraq is OK."

Griffin testified that he twice traveled to Jordan with Amawi and also taught Amawi and Mazloum how to shoot guns.

El-Hindi told Griffin, according to recordings heard in court, that he knew two cousins who were eager to receive "jihad training." Griffin asked El-Hindi if he was recruiting for jihad. "Oh no, I just want to take these two," El-Hindi answered, adding that he wanted to take care of them for their families.

The two Chicago-area cousins — Khaleel Ahmed of Chicago and Zubair A. Ahmed of suburban North Chicago — have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill American soldiers and face trial next year.

Amawi, El-Hindi and Mazloum were convicted of conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States, including military personnel. Amawi and El-Hindi were convicted of distributing information regarding explosives to terrorists.

Defense attorneys said Griffin lied and manipulated the defendants by putting words in their mouths so that he could stay on the government payroll.

Attorneys for the men also questioned how the three men could have been involved in a conspiracy when they never practiced shooting guns together or watched training videos together.

Griffin testified that the three gathered in the same place just once during the two years he investigated them. He also said that he never saw e-mails from the men that talked about plotting to kill soldiers.

Amawi and El-Hindi are U.S. citizens, and Mazloum came to the U.S. legally from Lebanon. El-Hindi was born in Jordan, and Amawi was born in the U.S. but also has Jordanian citizenship.

They had blended easily into the city's thriving Muslim community.

Mazloum was a college student who helped his brother run a used-car lot. Amawi once worked at a bakery. And El-Hindi was a married father of seven.

All had moved to the Toledo area only in recent years. Still, the arrests stunned the city's Arab-American community, which has been rooted in the city for generations and produced actor Jamie Farr and entertainer Danny Thomas.

Associated Press writers Thomas J. Sheeran and M.R. Kropko in Cleveland and John Seewer in Toledo contributed to this report. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTqxcV7hIdQ2seWB-GGJaNCm5jLQD919IABG1

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article published Saturday, June 14, 2008
WAR ON TERRORISM
3 guilty in plot to kill troops; Toledo verdict hailed as 1st on 'home-grown' terrorism cell

Mohammad Amawi, left, and Marwan El-Hindi, center, leave federal court. (THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH

By MARK REITER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The convictions yesterday of three local men of Middle Eastern descent for terrorist-related crimes are being hailed by the federal government as a landmark victory in the war on terrorism.

Mohammad Amawi, Marwan El-Hindi, and Wassim Mazloum were found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in Toledo of conspiring to plan attacks to kill or injure U.S. troops in Iraq and other countries - a crime that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison - and providing materials and support to terrorists.

A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

While it was not the first time that multiple defendants accused of terrorist acts were convicted of all counts in a jury trial, it was the first successful prosecution of defendants on the charge of distributing information about the making and use of an explosive device, a U.S. Justice Department spokesman said.

Dean Boyd, the spokesman, said the Toledo case was the first "home-grown" terror cell convictions for plots against U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.

VIEW: Toledo terror trial timeline

Others have been convicted of trying to carry out plots, but they were not living in the United States nor were they U.S. citizens, he said.

"This case demonstrates the stark reality of home-grown terrorism. If a plot like this can be developed in Toledo, it can happen anywhere," said C. Frank Figliuzzi, special agent in charge of the Cleveland FBI office.

"With radical extremists in our midst, the FBI works day and night with our law enforcement and intelligence partners to pursue suspected terrorists and their supporters," he said.

The jury of six men and six women reached its decision after 2 1/2 days of deliberations.

They were given the case Tuesday night after listening to three days of closing arguments.

None of the jurors could be reached last night for comment.

Wassim Mazloum, a former engineering student at the University of Toledo, was convicted of several terrorism-related charges. His defense attorney Jeff Helmich said he will appeal yesterday's verdict. Mazloum, who was released on bail in September, was taken into custody yesterday and sent to a federal prison in Milan, Mich., to await a sentencing hearing.
( THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH )

Zoom | Photo Reprints

Amawi and El-Hindi also were found guilty on two counts of distributing information regarding explosives.

Judge James Carr said that presentencing reports on the defendants should be available in 2 1/2 to three months.

However, defense attorneys said objections to government sentencing enhancements could push sentencing into the fall.

All the defendants are Muslim.

El-Hindi, 45, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Jordan; Mazloum, 27, came to the United States from Lebanon in 2000, and Amawi, 28, who was born in the United States, holds Jordanian citizenship.

Attorneys upset

The defendants showed little emotion as the guilty verdicts were announced.

But several of the defense attorneys appeared visibly upset, some to the point that they were struggling to fight back tears.

A handful of the men's relatives were in the courtroom for the verdicts.

A sister and aunt of Mazloum comforted one another as they wept in the courtroom after he and his co-defendants were taken away in handcuffs.

The trial, the first in northern Ohio to address terrorist crimes, began April 1 with opening statements, and followed with Darren Griffin - the government's key witness and paid FBI informant - taking the witness stand.

He was the first of 16 government witnesses.

A former U.S. Army soldier, he testified that he passed himself off as a convert to Islam with extremist views and blended into the Toledo Muslim community.

The recordings and videos that Mr. Griffin, 42, secretly made of meetings and phone calls with the defendants for about two years beginning in 2004 became the nucleus of the government's case.

He recorded the defendants at their homes, when they ate together, and when they practiced shooting at a gun range.

Taped conversations

Prosecutors played more than 30 hours of the 300 hours of taped conversations provided by Mr. Griffin. He was paid $350,000 by the government for his work.

Jurors were shown videos that the men had of gruesome beheadings, U.S. Marines killing Iraqis, tanks being blown up, and a Marine being killed at a checkpoint in Iraq.

Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for national security in Washington, released a written statement regarding the convictions.

"Today's verdicts should send a strong message to individuals who would use this country as a platform to plot attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere," it said.

"This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America's heartland."

Attorney Stephen Hartman, a member of the El-Hindi defense team, vowed to appeal the convictions and said work would begin immediately on pleadings on his client's behalf arguing for a lenient sentence.

"I am extremely disappointed with the verdicts. We had a judge who worked very hard to assure a fair trial. We had an incredible, attentive jury. I think they were the most attentive jury that I have ever seen. They listened very closely to all the evidence. They just disagreed with our theory," he said.

Mr. Hartman argued at trial that El-Hindi got caught in a plot orchestrated by what he described as an overzealous informant who milked the government for money.

He said El-Hindi never would have gotten involved in the plot if he had not met Mr. Griffin.

"What made Marwan El-Hindi different from the other two defendants was that Griffin started working on him back in 2002. But I don't think the jury put a whole lot of stock in what Griffin said. They paid very close attention to the recordings. I think that is what was most important to them," he said.

"There were a certain number of recordings that were important to the jurors that they listened to multiple times. That is what they used to form the basis of their decision. I don't think a lot of the other evidence mattered to them."

The jury considered recorded conversations of the defendants as they viewed videos produced by Islamic extremist groups, planning sessions to train for "jihad," or holy war, and sniper training, and step-by-step instructions on how to build and detonate a suicide bomb vest.

Two Chicago-area cousins, Khaleel Ahmed and Zubair Ahmed, also are accused of taking part in the conspiracy to "kill, kidnap, or maim" U.S. military troops and others overseas. A trial in federal court in Toledo is scheduled for next year.

Amawi and El-Hindi, the father of seven, have been in federal custody since February, 2006, when the indictment was announced.

Mazloum, who was an engineering student at the University of Toledo, was released last September on a $300,000 property bond. He was taken into custody again and sent to the federal prison in Milan, Mich., with his co-defendants.

Attorney Jeff Helmich said he and Mazloum's defense team were deeply disappointed with the verdicts and vowed to fight for their client by keeping the case in the courts on appeal.

"Mr. Mazloum continues to maintain his innocence. We will pursue every avenue of appeal," he said.

Judge Carr gave the defendants until Sept. 15 to file appeals on the convictions and gave federal prosecutors until Oct. 15 to respond to the motions.

Trials pending

The most recent records from the Department of Justice - as of Nov. 15, 2007 - indicate that 527 defendants had been charged in terrorism and terrorism-related criminal cases arising from investigations conducted after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001.

The cases resulted in 319 convictions, including 263 guilty pleas, the department reported. There were an additional 176 cases pending trial or awaiting extradition as of November.

Amawi was indicted on an additional count for making threats while speaking with others to kill or inflict bodily harm against President Bush. A trial on that charge has not been scheduled.

Ed Bryan, a federal public defender who was among the attorneys representing Amawi, said he believed jurors couldn't relate to the Islamic faith, culture, and politics of his client.

"I don't think there [were] any threats that he and the others would carry out. They never talked about doing anything specifically. There was never a plan," he said.

"I don't think their thoughts and opinions were any different than that of those from the part of the world they are from."

Staff writer Kate Giammarise contributed to this report. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/NEWS02/806140373/0/NEWS06

--------

News

Release


For Release:		June 13, 2008

U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney

Northern District of Ohio

William J. Edwards

Acting United States Attorney

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A federal jury in the Northern District of Ohio has convicted three Ohio residents, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 28, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim I. Mazloum, 27, of conspiring to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas, including U.S. military personnel in Iraq, and other terrorism-related violations.

Today's verdicts were announced by Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; William J. Edwards, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In February 2007, Amawi, El-Hindi, and Mazloum were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States, including U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Amawi and El-Hindi were also charged individually with distributing information regarding the manufacture or use of explosives, including suicide bomb vests and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Three additional counts in the superseding indictment were severed before trial and were not considered by this jury.

Today, the jury convicted the defendants on all counts. Amawi, a citizen of Jordan and the United States, and El Hindi, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Jordan, were each convicted of one count of conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States, one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and two counts of distributing information on explosives. Mazloum, a U.S. legal permanent resident from Lebanon, was convicted of one count of conspiring to kill or maim persons outside the United States and one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

At trial, the government proved that all three defendants engaged in a conspiracy, beginning sometime prior to June 2004, to kill or maim persons outside the United States, including U.S. armed forces personnel in Iraq. As part of the conspiracy, the defendants conducted firearms training and accessed and copied instructions in the construction and use of explosives – including IEDs and suicide bomb vests. In addition, the defendants conspired to recruit others to participate in jihad training; researched and solicited funding sources for such training; and proposed sites for training in firearms, explosives and hand-to-hand combat to prospective recruits.

The government also proved that all defendants conspired to provide material support and resources, including personnel, money, explosives and laptop computers, to terrorists, including a co-conspirator in the Middle East, who had requested such materials for use against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. For example, among other activities, Amawi communicated with a contact in the Middle East on chemical explosives and traveled to Jordan in August 2005 with laptop computers intended for delivery for mujahideen "brothers" whom he learned were preparing to cross into Iraq.

The government also proved that Amawi knowingly distributed to others a guide describing the step-by-step process for manufacturing chemical explosive compounds, as well as a video entitled, "Martyrdom Operation Vest Preparation," which described the step-by-step construction and use of a suicide bomb vest. Amawi distributed these materials with the intent that they be used for training others to commit a crime of violence, including the killing of U.S. nationals overseas.

The government further proved that El-Hindi knowingly distributed a slide show demonstrating the preparation and use of IEDs against apparent U.S. military vehicles and personnel, as well as the video entitled "Martyrdom Operation Vest Preparation." El-Hindi distributed these materials with the intent that they be used for training others to commit a crime of violence, including the killing of U.S. nationals overseas.

"Today's verdicts should send a strong message to individuals who would use this country as a platform to plot attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere," said Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "This case also underscores the need for continued vigilance in identifying and dismantling extremist plots that develop in America's heartland."

Acting United States Attorney William J. Edwards said: "These verdicts are testament to the hard work and dedication of all the federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have spent years investigating this case and to the tireless efforts and perseverance of an extremely talented team of federal prosecutors who, with their law enforcement partners, keep this country safe from terrorists."

"This case demonstrates the stark reality of home grown terrorism. If a
plot like this can be developed in Toledo, OH, it can happen anywhere. With radical extremists in our midst, the FBI works day and night with our law enforcement and intelligence partners to pursue suspected terrorists and their supporters," said C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Cleveland Division, FBI.

The maximum statutory penalties for the offenses on which the defendants were convicted include: life imprisonment for conspiracy to kill or maim persons outside the United States; 20 years imprisonment for distributing information regarding explosives (each count); and 15 years imprisonment for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

Each defendant's sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any; the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Toledo, Ohio, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; the U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Ohio Highway Patrol; the Toledo Police Department; and the Lucas and Wood County Sheriff's Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Getz and Justin E. Herdman of the National Security Unit of the U.S Attorney's Office in Cleveland, as well Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Austin, Texas, (formerly of the Justice Department's Counterterrorism Section) and Trial Attorneys Jerome J. Teresinski and David I. Miller of the Justice Department's Counterterrorism Section. The U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit also provided assistance in this case.

#####

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ohn/news/13June2008.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=FC345983-82B2-4733-BC8D-F2067966A104

The Black Hearts of KindHearts

By Joe Kaufman
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, March 14, 2006

One of the problems with the war on terror is that, when organizations connected to terrorist groups overseas are shut down by the United States, far too many of those active in the groups are awarded freedom without punishment, enabled to continue their activities with impunity, while exploiting legal loopholes and public sentiment in which charity and cheerful-sounding names evoke. KindHearts is one of those organizations.

In December of 2001, shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, three large Islamic charities were closed down, each accused of funneling millions of dollars to Al-Qaeda and/or Hamas. A handful of the leaders of the groups – Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), Global Relief Foundation (GRF) and Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) – were taken into custody. This, while most of those involved were left untouched.

One of the lucky bunch, a public relations representative for GRF, Khaled Smaili, took the opportunity to fill the void that was left with the closures. In January of 2002, Smaili's brainchild, KindHearts, was born, with Smaili as President and C.E.O.

KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development was incorporated as a "Domestic/Non-Profit" in Toledo, Ohio, far from the city lights of GRF's Chicago surroundings. Hatem El-Hady, a Toledo physician, became KindHearts' Chairman of the Board, and Jihad Smaili, a Cleveland attorney (and Khaled's older brother), became KindHearts' legal counsel. [Jihad is also the Registered Agent for KindHearts U.S.A., which was incorporated in June of 2003.]

The focus of KindHearts was on assisting "Palestinians," both in Israel and in Lebanon. "Orphan" sponsorships, medical centers, housing projects, and other pleasant-sounding programs were advertised and showcased by the organization. However, there was a sinister component that underscored all that KindHearts did and stood for, and that was the group's financial support for Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement.

To better accomplish this, Mohammed El-Mezain, a Hamas operative, was brought in as a fundraising specialist. Previously, El-Mezain had utilized his expert skills as a fundraiser for HLF, and according to the Political Bureau Chief of Hamas, Khalid Mishal, El-Mezain was in fact the American leader for the group (Hamas).

In addition to this, according to tax exemption filings, KindHearts named the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), a now-defunct Hamas front, as its "Fundraiser Organizer" (as announced by Steven Emerson, during testimony before the United States Senate). KindHearts got so close to the IAP that it made Abdelbaset Hemayel, the IAP's former Director and Secretary General, an Illinois and Wisconsin Representative for KindHearts.

Other KindHearts officials with radical Islamist ties are:

KindHearts' Director of Domestic Programs, Khalifah Ramadan. Ramadan was a training and evaluation consultant for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), two large Muslim organizations based in the United States that have links to overseas terror groups.
KindHearts' Representaive, Omar Shahin. Shahin was an Imam for the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT), the former home of numerous terror operatives, including Wael Jelaidan, who later helped found Al-Qaeda.
KindHearts' Representative, Wagdy Ghuneim. Ghuneim, an Egyptian cleric, has been featured in KindHearts fundraising dinners for 2002, 2003 and 2004. During a rally at Brooklyn College, in May of 1998, Ghuneim attempted to persuade the crowd to support violent jihad and labeled Jews as "descendants of the apes."
KindHearts' Representative, Hatem Bazian. Bazian is an Islamic Studies instructor and a member of the faculty of Near Eastern Studies at UC Berkley. In April of 2004, during a San Francisco anti-war rally, Bazian, a native Palestinian, called for an "intifada" against the United States. This was just two months prior to Bazian being featured in a KindHearts Fundraising Dinner, entitled ‘Palestinians in agony!'
KindHearts' Manager in Lebanon, Haytham Maghawri (a.k.a. Haytham Fawri). Maghawri, the past Social Services Director for HLF, according to the Treasury Department, "collected [KindHearts] funds and sent them to Hamas and other Salafi groups." [One of the recipients of KindHearts funding was Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) Usama Hamdan, a leader of Hamas in Lebanon.]

KindHearts' nefarious activities led them to working with other terrorist charities. This includes Hamas-affiliated Sanibil, which received at least $250,000 from KindHearts. According to the FBI, KindHearts was depositing the funds "into the same account used by the Holy Land Foundation," when HLF was providing funds to Sanabil. Sanabil was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity in August of 2003. KindHearts President, Khalid Smaili, complained that law enforcement and intelligence were making it impossible for his organization to assist Hamas.

KindHearts also made its way into fanatic Muslim houses of worship. In KindHearts' Spring 2004 newsletter, Khalid Smaili is shown presenting the "Mosque of the Year" award to the President of the Mosque Foundation (a.k.a. Bridgeview Mosque) of Chicago, Osama Jammal. The picture was taken during a KindHearts fundraising dinner, at the Mosque Foundation. In a damaging report put out by the Chicago Tribune, leaders of the mosque are said to have "condemned Western culture" and "praised Palestinian suicide bombers."

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in August of 2005, the area was torn apart. One of the states affected most was Louisiana. KindHearts, in what appeared to be a "kind" gesture, partnered with the Islamic Center of Baton Rouge (ICBR), which made its center available to victims of the disaster. However, ICBR was also the scene of a KindHearts terrorist fundraiser less than two years earlier, where $500,000 was raised. Part of the money went towards the building of a new Baton Rouge mosque; most of it went to Hamas.

In October of 2005, KindHearts went in a new direction, as the result of another catastrophic incident. After an earthquake ravaged the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, KindHearts created a South Asia division to respond to it. The "charity" hired Zulfiqar Ali Shah to be its Director. Shortly prior to this, Shah was the Chairman and C.E.O. of the Universal Heritage Foundation (UHF), an Islamic-oriented educational institution based in Kissimmee, Florida.

UHF turned heads, when it invited Shaikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Sudais, the chief cleric of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, to speak at its inaugural event held in December of 2003. Al-Sudais had previously, on Saudi television, called for the murder of Jews, Christians and Americans and had referred to Jews as "the scum of the human race, the rats of the world, the killers of prophets, and the grandsons of monkeys and pigs."

Besides his leadership with UHF, Shah had also been the President (Ameer) of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a group with close ties to Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's version of the violent Muslim Brotherhood and strong supporter of Al-Qaeda. This connection proved to be very important to KindHearts, as it soon forged a partnership with the Al-Khidmat Foundation, the charitable arm of Jamaat-e-Islami.

This South Asia initiative was short-lived, though. KindHearts, which had been the subject of a two year Senate investigation into terrorism financing, on the date of February 19, 2006, was abruptly closed down by the United States, with all of its funds effectively frozen. A "blocking notice" from the Treasury Department was taped to the padlocked, decorated glass doors of the West Toledo offices, stating "All property and interests in property of KindHearts for Charitable, Humanitarian Development, Inc., including its U.S. representative office and all other offices worldwide, are blocked pending investigation into whether KindHearts... is being controlled by, acting for, on behalf of, assisting in, or providing financial, or material support to, and/or otherwise being associated with Hamas."

The same day government officials descended on KindHearts, three Toledo-area men were arrested, charged with plotting to carry out terror attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and other overseas targets. One of them had an additional charge of threatening the life of President George W. Bush. The three – Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim Mazloum – had spent over a year weapons training and trying to acquire and/or build explosives, including suicide belts.

The jihadi group frequented a small storefront mosque, At-Tawfeeq, which practiced a radical form of Islam known as Salafism. Two of them also attended Masjid Saad Foundation (MSF), a mosque whose website features vehemently anti-Israel writings and articles of support for the GRF, HLF and KindHearts. [The Registrant for KindHearts' website, Mahir Sabra, who is currently the Assistant Vice President for Information Technology and Chairman of IT Administration at the Islamic University of Gaza, also had attended MSF.]

When asked if there were any connection between the closure of KindHearts and the arrests, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stated that they are "separate investigations, but they're coordinated." From Amawi's apartment, authorities seized knives, battle fatigues, computers, and records from KindHearts. KindHearts documents were also found in El-Hindi's home and in the travel agency he ran in Chicago.

According to documentation, Marwan Othman El-Hindi is the Registered Agent and Manager of Royal International, LLC. Rafil Dhafir, who is currently serving out a 22 year sentence for his role as the head of an illegal Iraqi charity called Help the Needy, was a board member of Royal International. El-Hindi and Dhafir also listed the same Oak Lawn, Illinois house as their residence.

The El-Hindi/Dhafir connection is not the only link to KindHearts Rafil Dhafir has. On November 16, 2002, Rafil Dhafir, along with Zulfiqar Ali Shah, were featured speakers at a fundraiser for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton. On May 10, 2003, Khaled Smaili was the featured speaker at the same Boca mosque. All three of these individuals were involved in charities that have been closed by the United States, yet only one of the three is spending time behind bars. Zulfiqar Ali Shah already has a new gig as the Religious Director of the Islamic Center of Milwaukee, and Khaled Smaili has been left to his own devices. Something seems unfair about this! Shouldn't Shah and Smaili get the same treatment?

KindHearts, the Hamas charity with Al-Qaeda affiliations, has been shut down, but many of its leaders, solicitors and staff remain free, awaiting their chance to start the next KindHearts, Holy Land or Global Relief. The big question for the United States government is how long will this cycle of hatred and violence be allowed to continue? When will those involved be shut down as well?

Click Here to support Frontpagemag.com.

Printer-friendly version Email this item to a friend