U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney Southern District of Florida 99 N.E. 4 Street, Miami, FL 33132 (305)961-9001 January 22, 2008 NEWS RELEASE : JOSE PADILLA AND CO-DEFENDANTS SENTENCED ON TERRORISM CHARGESMIAMI - A federal
Judge in the Southern District of Florida has sentenced Jose Padilla,
Adham Amin Hassoun, and Kifah Wael Jayyousi on charges of conspiracy
to murder, kidnap and maim individuals in a foreign country, conspiracy
to provide material support to terrorists, and providing material support
to terrorists, Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for
National Security, and R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of Florida, announced today. "I want to thank the many attorneys and staff, both prosecution and defense, as well as judicial officers, who worked diligently on this prosecution. Their efforts often go unrecognized, yet it is their work that helps ensure justice in our nation," said U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta. "I applaud the professionalism and perseverance of the many agents, investigators and prosecutors who worked so tirelessly to bring this case to a successful conclusion. Thanks to their efforts, the defendants' North American support cell has been dismantled and can no longer send money and jihadist recruits to conflicts overseas," said Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. The defendants were charged in an 11-count superseding indictment returned on Nov. 17, 2005. The jury found the defendants guilty of being part of a North American support cell designed to send money, physical assets, and mujahideen recruits to overseas jihad conflicts. The cell operated from many cities in the United States and Canada, and supported and coordinated with other support networks and mujahideen groups waging violent jihad. The jury found that Padilla traveled overseas to receive violent jihad training and to fight violent jihad, which would include acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming, from October 1993 to November 2001. On July 24, 2000, Padilla filled out a "Mujahideen Data Form" in preparation for violent jihad training in Afghanistan. Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department of Homeland Security. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Frazier, Russell Killinger and John Shipley of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney Stephanie Pell of the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division. A copy of this
press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office
for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related
court documents and information may be found on the website of the District
Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov
or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
|