I'd forgotten about this attempted NYC subway bombing:
The events leading to the arrests of Abu Mezer and Khalil, as described by government witnesses at a pretrial suppression hearing and at trial, were as follows. In late July 1997, Abdelrahman Mossabah, who was then living with Abu Mezer and Khalil in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, informed officers of the New York City Police Department that Abu Mezer and Khalil had bombs in the apartment and planned to detonate them soon. According to Mossabah, Abu Mezer had said he was "very angry because of what happened between Jerusalem and Palestine." (Suppression Hearing Transcript, June 1, 1998, at 18.) Abu Mezer had shown Mossabah pipe bombs in a black bag in the apartment and told Mossabah that he planned to take the bombs to a crowded subway or bus terminal and detonate them. Mossabah gave the police a key to the apartment, diagrammed its layout, indicating where the bombs were kept, and led a team of officers to the building before dawn on July 31, 1997.In the raid on the apartment, two police officers approached the bedroom where the bombs had been shown to Mossabah and heard "ruffling" noises. They opened the door and entered the bedroom, yelling "police, don't move, get down," and saw two men lying on the floor or on a mattress. One of those men lunged, grabbed the gun of one of the officers, and grappled with him; the other man crawled toward a black bag that the officers believed might contain a bomb. The officers shot and wounded both men, disabling them. The wounded men, later identified as Khalil and Abu Mezer, were handcuffed and taken to the hospital.
The officers peeked into the black bag and saw wiring. Technicians thereafter examined the bag's contents; they found pipe bombs, observed that a switch on one of the bombs had been flipped, and were concerned that the bomb would explode before they could disarm it. Other officers went to the hospital and questioned Abu Mezer that morning as to how many bombs there were, how many switches were on each bomb, which wires should be cut to disarm the bombs, and whether there were any timers. Abu Mezer answered all of these questions, stating that he had made five bombs, that they contained gunpowder, and that each would explode when its four switches were flipped. Abu Mezer was also asked whether he had planned to kill himself in the explosion, to which he responded simply, "'Poof.'"
Abu Mezer was questioned again that afternoon after being given Miranda warnings. He said, inter alia, that he had made the bombs, "want[ing] to blow up a train and kill as many Jews as possible" because he opposed United States support for Israel. (Trial Transcript ("Tr.") 1696.) Abu Mezer also stated that he was "with Hamas" (Tr. 1740), a terrorist organization, and had planned to bomb the "B" subway train at 8a.m. on July 31 because there were "a lot of Jews who ride that train" (Tr. 1696). Questioned as to where he had bought the bomb components, Abu Mezer said he had purchased gunpowder at a gun shop in North Carolina. He had used it to make the bombs found in the raid and had been planning to make one additional bomb in the future. Abu Mezer said that when he realized the police were in his apartment that morning, he had wanted to blow himself up.
(emphasis added.)
According to this CNN article, Hamas denied involvement.
A senior law enforcement official told CNN that one of the men being held in New York, Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer, had filled out an application for political asylum in the United States. In it, he indicated that he had been accused by Israeli authorities of belonging to Hamas.He claimed he had been tortured by the Israelis for his alleged Hamas involvement. However, he did not indicate that he belonged to the group.
In Gaza, Mahmoud Aza'har, a Hamas spokesman, denied that Hamas had anything to do with the suspected plot to set off bombs in the subway system.
"We are not looking for any activity against American targets in America or around the world. We don't believe this story is true, and we are denying Hamas involvement in this," Aza'har said.
Mezer's brother provides the usual peaceful man defense:
In Hebron, Noor Abu Mezer, Abu Mezer's brother, said he was shocked by the news of his brother's arrest. Noor described his brother as "a nonviolent person and a person who loves peace." He added, "It's impossible my brother would do something like that."Noor, who is a lawyer, said his brother left the troubled West Bank town "to get away from the suffering of the people who are living here. He was looking for a good future for himself."
Rudy Giuliani makes a suggestion that should have been heeded:
"It makes no sense to parole into the United States somebody who is alleged to be part of a terrorist organization," he said. "How about from now on, we don't do it, and we'll be a lot safer."
This ABC News article, sheds some light on their motivation:
The note, which police say the suspects planned to leave behind after bombing a crowded subway tunnel, demanded the release of six Islamic or Arab extremists, including two suspects in the World Trade Center bombing.If the authorities didn’t give in after the bombing of a Brooklyn subway station, the note warned, subsequent attacks would follow. Sources said the note was to be carried with the bomber in a container designed to survive the blast.
In addition to Trade Center bombing suspects Ramzi Yousef and Eyad Ismoil, the note demanded the release of Sheik Omar Abdul Rachman, now serving a life sentence for conspiracy to bomb the United Nations and other New York landmarks; and Sheik Ahmen Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, now imprisoned in Israel.
This bit is interesting:
In Jordan, Hamas political wing leader, Moussa Abu Marzook told ABCNEWS that Khalil, rather than being a member of Hamas, is actually an informant for Israeli intelligence. And Israeli officials could not discount that allegation.“He may have given information in the past—I don’t know. But thousands of people gave information in the past,” said Israeli spokesman Moshe Fogel.
Mezer was sentenced to life in prison; Khalil was sentenced to three years in prison followed by deportation.
Posted by oscarjr at November 15, 2003 04:57 PM | TrackBack