6 arrested in plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix

[peejay 327]

As if we haven't learned from 9/11.

6 arrested in plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix

Posted by The Star-Ledger May 08, 2007 1:10PM

Federal investigators last night arrested six Islamic radicals who were planning a heavily armed attack against soldiers at Fort Dix as part of a jihad against America, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In a statement released this morning that confirmed an earlier report on nj.com, The Star-Ledger's Web site, the U.S. Attorney's Office said the men planned to "kill as many soldiers as possible."

The alleged plot included conducting surveillance of the Army base and purchasing multiple firearms, including hand guns, shotguns and semi-automatic weapons, according to the federal complaint released this morning.

The bust came after several of the suspects were lured by a secret informant to a meeting with an arms-seller, according to the complaint.

Some of the would-be attackers have been living illegally in the United States, while others are legal immigrants, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Four are ethnic Albanians, one was born in Turkey, and a sixth was born in Jordan, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Officials identified the men as Dritan Duka, Eljvir Duka, Shain Duka, Serdar Tatar, Mohamad Shnewer and Agron Abdullahu. They are described as being in their early 20s.

The six had been under FBI surveillance for 15 months and prepared for their alleged plot by shooting paintball guns and real weapons in Gouldsboro, Pa., 30 miles southeast of Scranton, officials said. One had experience as a sniper in Kosovo, according to the complaint.

The men also allegedly watched jihadist videos in which Osama bin Laden urged them toward martyrdom.

"They were prepared to die," said a law enforcement source who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the arrests. "We became increasingly convinced this was for real and these guys were ready to roll."

The men had scouted out Fort Monmouth, Dover Air Force Base, Lakehurst Naval Air Station and the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard before settling on Fort Dix, a base that is used to mobilize troops to Iraq, according to the complaint. One of them, Tatar, had regular access to secure areas of the facility through his job as a deliveryman and knew "it like the palm of his hand," according to the complaint.

The men - several of whom are relatives - had videotaped their practice sessions in Pennsylvania, according to the complaint. That videotape, in which they fired assault weapons and railed against America, led to their arrests.

They made the mistake of bringing it to a retail store, seeking to get a copy burned to a DVD, according to the complaint. A store employee who later watched the tape called the FBI who began immediately investigating.

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said the arrest demonstrates the tenacity of America's efforts to thwart terrorists.

'It should show all of us that the continued terrorism threat in America is real and that federal law enforcement is going to continue to work as far as we can to catch these folks before they kill innocent Americans," he said

As they allegedly prepared for the attack, the men watched videos depicting armed assaults of U.S. military personnel at an undisclosed location, according to the complaint, which cited a federal witness who infiltrated the group.

The witness noted that Shnewer "seemed to enjoy watching the videos and smiled during the viewing." Files in his computer contained what appear to be the last will and testament of two hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, officials said.

Last night in Cherry Hill, a SWAT team and dozens of federal agents descended at about 9:15 on a quiet suburban neighborhood to raid Schnewer's split level home on East Tampa Avenue, according to neighbors.

The investigators' jackets and vests identified them as agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Secret Service and the FBI. They remained until about midnight and carted away several boxes of evidence, neighbors said.

A high school friend of Eljir and Shain Duka recalled them as typical teenagers.

"We hung out in study hall together," said David Jonathon, who is 24 and attended Cherry Hill High School West with the suspects."We did teenage stuff. Drinking. Girls. Stuff like that."

The Duka brothers had been popular in school, said Jonathon, of Cherry Hill. Shain drove a Cadillac Escalade SUV. Their family owned a pizzeria.

But when Jonathon saw Shain Duka recently for the first time in three years, the once fun-loving teenager was now growing a beard and spoke of converting to Islam.

"He was trying to get me to go to prayer services with them," Jonathon said.

The men are expected to make their initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Camden. Christie is planning a 2:30 p.m. news conference.

Five of the men are charged with conspiring to kill officers of the United States Government, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. The sixth, Abdullahu, is charged with aiding and abetting the others.

Officials at Fort Dix, meanwhile, are increasing security. The facility, which has been closed to the public since 2001, is one of the three main Army posts responsible for preparing reserve and National Guard troops for deployment. Nearly 100,000 troops have been mobilized through Fort Dix in the past five years.

"This is definitely a reminder that we are at war," said Carolee Nisbet, a Fort Dix spokeswoman. "We're trying to encourage everyone to be more aware of their surroundings."

http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/05/6...o_kill_sol.html

[Dr_LHA 3]

Some of them were illegal, but others were US citizens, which this article fails to mention.

So really, it didn't make much odds, we have both illegal alien terrorists and US citizen terrorists.

Edited May 8, 2007 by Dr_LHA

[almaty 19]

i am glad the plot failed...they would have gotten their balls shot off at fort dix though ...soldiers tend to shoot back

[Minya's wife 25]

"...The men - several of whom are relatives - had videotaped their practice sessions in Pennsylvania, according to the complaint. That videotape, in which they fired assault weapons and railed against America, led to their arrests.

They made the mistake of bringing it to a retail store, seeking to get a copy burned to a DVD, according to the complaint. A store employee who later watched the tape called the FBI who began immediately investigating..."

Oh the brilliance!

-P

[LovinLiberia 0]

i am glad the plot failed...they would have gotten their balls shot off at fort dix though ...soldiers tend to shoot back

I was thinking that, too. Of all places to try to do an attack...a heavily armed military base. Geniuses. I'm glad they got caught before carrying out their attack.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Well, there is a global jihad going on.

[Nancy2015 2]

...and of course, the focus of the original post is on the fact that some of the terrorists were illegal aliens...

[Peikko 1,575]

Does Peejay really spend all day searching out illegal alien stories? What a waste of time...

[Fandango 1,440]

Getting the video burned. what a stupid azzhole!

[mawilson 2,133]

But when Jonathon saw Shain Duka recently for the first time in three years, the once fun-loving teenager was now growing a beard and spoke of converting to Islam.

That should have been their first clue.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

But when Jonathon saw Shain Duka recently for the first time in three years, the once fun-loving teenager was now growing a beard and spoke of converting to Islam.

That should have been their first clue.

and how!!

[Robor007 0]

But when Jonathon saw Shain Duka recently for the first time in three years, the once fun-loving teenager was now growing a beard and spoke of converting to Islam.

That should have been their first clue.

But, but... Ah, nevermind.

[Caladan 19]

I'm less concerned that half of the group seems to be overstays (?) than that half the group seems to be a homegrown movement.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The suspects: Who are they?

Posted by The Star-Ledger May 08, 2007 4:38PM

The suspects, as identified in a press release by the Department of Justice and from the criminal complaint:

Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer

Born in Jordan, Shnewner, 22, is a U.S. citizen who lives in Cherry Hill and is employed as a taxicab driver in Philadelphia. Authorities said he was a brother-in-law of the Dukas.

He is portrayed as the ringleader in much of the planning and did the original surveillance of potential targets. He also is accused of ordering an AK-47 machine gun and hiding other weapons in the air conditioning unit of his home.

At various times during the plot, Shnewer showed videos of jihadist images to others in the group. His laptop also had files that included what was described as the will of two 9/11 highjackers and Osama bin Laden calling for jihad.

He allegedly was recorded saying: "My intent is to hit a heavy concentration of soldiers," and ... "Why did I choose Fort Dix? Because I know Serdar (Tatar) knows it like the palm of his hand."

Eljvir Duka

Also known as Elvis and Sulayman, Duka, 23, was born in the former Yugoslavia and is illegally residing in the U.S. A Cherry Hill resident, he operates a roofing business under the names of Qadr. Inc., Colonial Roofing and National Roofing.

Along with his brothers, he is charged with obtaining the weapons that were used in the group's training. He also told a government informant the government would need to receive a "fatwa," or permission from an Islamic scholar, before unleashing their attack.

When Eljvir Duka ran into an undercover government officer in the Poconos during one of their training exercises, he asked the agent if he knew where the men could buy AK-47s and M-16s.

Dritan Duka

The 28-year-old brother of Eljvir Duka, who was also born in the former Yugoslavia and is illegally residing in the U.S. as well. He works as a partner in the roofing business with his brother. Also known as Distan, Anthony and Tony, he lives in Cherry Hill.

Along with his brothers, he is charged with obtaining the weapons that were used in the group's training. Dritan also stands accused of ordering four AK-47 machine guns and M-16s last month.

Dritan Duka in March said his small group "can do a lot of damage with seven people," and the following month expressed concerns about the need for secrecy within the group: "I've got five kids so I don't wanna go down."

Shain Duka

The third of the Duka brothers, Shain, 26, lives with Eljvir in Cherry Hill. All three brothers are ethnic Albanians. Also known as Shaheen, he was born in the former Yugoslavia and is also illegally residing in the U.S.

Along with his brothers, he is charged with obtaining the weapons that were used in the group's training. When the group was watching watching terrorist training videos during a February visit to the Poconos, Shain pointed out a U.S. Marine's arm had been blown off, drawing laughter from the group.

Shain Duka, in expressing confidence in the group's abilities, allegedly boasted: "We are all crazy."

Serdar Tatar

Born in Turkey, the 23-year-old Tatar is a legal resident of the U.S. living in Philadelphia. His last known employment was at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Philadelphia.

Tatar is charged with taking a map of the Fort Dix base and distributing it to others. Tatar's family owns a pizzeria near Fort Dix.

Tatar also questioned a government informant about his role in the group at least twice, asking if he was a "fed." He also said he was prepared to participate regardless of the consequences because "I'm doing it in the name of Allah."

Agron Abdullahu

Born in the former Yugoslavia, Abdullahu is an ethnic Albanian legally residing in the U.S. and is employed at a Shop-Rite Supermarket. The 24-year-old lives in Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County. While the other five suspects are charged with plotting to kill U.S. servicemen, Abdullah stands accused of aiding and abetting the others.

He is identified in the government's complaint as having been a sniper in Kosovo, and Dritan Duka told a government informant Abdullahu had a license for a rifle the group used to train.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Family members of the suspects charged with plotting to kill as many soldiers as possible in an armed assault on at Fort Dix try to hide their faces from the media after leaving the U.S. District Court in Camden.