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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (44452)	8/26/2003 6:26:28 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Pakistani pleads guilty to terror charges in US By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: Three of the 12 men charged in Northern Virginia for involvement in a local jihad network, including a Pakistani – Khawaja Mahmood Hasan – have pleaded guilty. One of them admitted in a federal court on Monday to conspiracy and gun charges, while another confessed that he had trained with firearms in Northern Virginia to prepare for a possible mission fighting for Muslims abroad. Yong Ki Kwon (27) told a federal judge in Alexandria that he also trained in Pakistan at a camp run by the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been designated a terrorist group by the US government. At the camp, he said, he fired weapons ranging from machine guns to rocket-propelled grenades. Mr Kwon said he and the other 10 men charged as part of the network, who are accused of possessing a variety of weapons and practising military tactics in the Virginia countryside, had deliberately trained in secret. Asked why by the court, he answered, “We didn’t want any undue attention, and we didn’t want any trouble with the government.” According to the Washington Post, the admissions by Mr Kwon and Mr Hasan (27) who both live in Fairfax County, and Donald T Surratt (30) of Suitland, who are all cooperating in the investigation, signal a significant victory for the Justice Department. Prosecutors said the men were part of a conspiracy to support “violent jihad” overseas. While the prosecution has presented no evidence that the men were plotting attacks in the US, under the law waging war against a friendly country – which India is considered – amounts to waging war against the US. Muslim groups, defence attorneys and others have vigorously defended the men, portraying them as quiet residents who were being victimised by an overzealous prosecution. Mr Kwon and Mr Hasan face up to life in prison when they are sentenced November 7, though they will likely serve fewer than 20 years under federal sentencing guidelines. Mr Surratt faces up to 15 years in prison. Mr Hasan, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia, where he was working, is the son of Khawaja Shamsul Hasan, a retired employee of the US Information Centres in Karachi and Islamabad who migrated to the US after retirement. His son grew up here and received the best education. Those who knew him told Daily Times that under the influence of some local “jihadi” clerics the young man turned into a jihadi. dailytimes.com.pk