Five Radical Islamists Convicted of Conspiring to Kill Soldiers at Fort Dix

Update 23 December 2008: Robert Spencer's (Jihad Watch) featured article today at FrontPageMag.Com entitled "Shilling for the Ft. Dix Six" should be required refresher reading on the particulars of entirely predictable Islamic reactions when Islamic irhabis (terrorists) are discovered, caught red-handed or known entities involved in Islamic warfare against us are identified posthumously. I was particularly struck by Spencer's quoting of Mohamed Younes (president of the American Muslim Union) statement regarding the physical appearance of the interdicted Ft. Dix terrorists: "They don’t look like the type of people to do something like this." Do something like what? Like wage jihad against innocents and the American military? Well, yes, that is exactly what Mohamed Younes meant.

Spencer then correctly castigates Associated Press reporter Wayne Parry for intentionally failing to ask (or of omitting by design) the requisite journalistically diligent follow-up question of Mohamed Younes " exactly what "the type of people to do something like this" actually do look like.

Here, for Wayne Parry and all others who might inquire, are a couple of images of what Islamic jihadists who murder in cold blood in the name of 'allah' look like. First we have four of the original "Ft. Dix Six" seen in a photo that accompanied Amanda Ripley's article in Time Magazine on December 6, 2007:

From left, Serdar Tatar and Dritan, Eljivir and Shain Duka

And here below is an image of their now deceased and also unshaven brothers in Islamic Jihad, Ziad Jarrah and Mohamed Atta as seen in their "martyrdom" videotape recorded in Afghanistan on January 18, 2000.

From left, Ziad Jarrah and Mohamed Atta

Any further questions Mr. Parry?

22 December 2008: Here is the DoJ Press Release folowing the conviction of the "Fort Dix Five." The term ""Radical Islamists" in the headline for this release is 'governmentspeak' that identifies the convicted jihadists as Muslims.

As one who works daily on Fort Dix I am pleased with this conviction and hope there is no chance for application for parole for any of these islamic terrorists.

Department of Justice Press Release

For Immediate Release
Dec 22, 2008
Ralph J. Marra , Acting U.S. Attorney
District of New Jersey
Contact: Greg Reinert, (856) 757-5233

Five Radical Islamists Convicted ofConspiring to Kill Soldiers at Fort Dix

CAMDEN – A jury today convicted five men on charges they plotted to killmembers of the U.S. military, Acting United States Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr. announced.

After 5½ days of deliberations, which began Dec. 17, the jury convictedMohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, brothers Dritan Duka, Shain Duka and Eljvir Dukaand Serdar Tatar on Count One of the seven-count Superseding Indictment thatcharged them with conspiracy to murder members of the U.S. military. Thejury acquitted each of defendants of Count Two, which charged attempt tomurder members of the U.S. military.

For the conspiracy conviction only, each of the defendants faces a sentenceof any number of years up to life in prison.The case was tried by Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Hammer, Jr., Chief of theU.S. Attorney’s Office Terrorism Unit. U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler, who presided over the 12-week trial, scheduled sentencing of thethree Duka brothers for April 22. Judge Kugler scheduled sentencing ofShnewer and Tartar on April 23.

The remaining counts of the Superseding Indictment, which was returned inJanuary, charged the three Duka brothers, who are illegal immigrants, andShnewer with firearm offenses; including possession of machine guns. See below for conviction details on each of the defendants.

The defendants’ arrests occurred on May 7, 2007, in Cherry Hill as Dritanand Shain Duka were meeting a confidential government witness to purchasefour automatic M-16 rifles and three semi-automatic AK-47 rifles to be usedin a future attack on military personnel. The other defendants were arrestedat various locations at about the same time.

“These men planned, trained and ceaselessly talked unambiguously about theirintention to ambush and kill U.S. soldiers,” said Marra. “The word should goout to any other would-be terrorists of the homegrown variety that theUnited States will find you, infiltrate your group, prosecute you and sendyou to a federal prison for a very long time.”

“Vigilance was the key to disrupting the dangerous terrorists convictedtoday and we are glad they are off the street,” said Janice K. Fedarcyk,Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the FBI. “Weappreciate the tip from an alert citizen who reported this suspiciousactivity to law enforcement. Without tips from concerned citizens orcooperation from our law enforcement partners, it is much more difficult tosafeguard our nation and protect the United States from terrorist attack.”

“Today's verdicts underscore the need for continued vigilance againsthomegrown terror threats,” said Patrick Rowan, Assistant Attorney Generalfor National Security. “While these defendants were not members of aninternational terrorist organization, their involvement in weapons training,their surveillance of domestic targets and their discussions of killing U.S.military personnel posed a serious threat that required the law enforcementdisruption and the prosecutions upheld by the jury today.”

In convicting the defendants, the jury found that one member of the groupconducted surveillance at Fort Dix and Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, DoverAir Force Base in Delaware and the U.S. Coast Guard in Philadelphia. Theco-conspirator obtained a detailed map of Fort Dix, where they hoped to useassault rifles to kill as many soldiers as possible, according to trialtestimony and evidence.

During the trial, the jury viewed secretly recorded videotapes of thedefendants preforming small-arms training at a shooting range in the PoconoMountains in Pennsylvania and watching training videos amongst themselvesthat included depictions of American soldiers being killed and of known foreign Islamic radicals urging jihad against the United States.

The defendants and the charges on which each was convicted are as follows:

• Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, 23, of Cherry Hill: conspiracy to murder membersof the members of the U.S. military, and the attempted possession of AK-47semi-automatic assault weapons to be used in the attack.

• Dritan Duka, 30 of Cherry Hill: conspiracy to murder members of the U.S.military; possession of machine guns; possession and attempted possession ofmachine guns in furtherance of a crime of violence; and two counts ofpossession of firearms by an illegal alien.

• Shain Duka, 27, of Cherry Hill: conspiracy to murder members of the U.S.military; possession of machine guns; possession and attempted possession ofmachine guns in furtherance of a crime of violence; and two counts ofpossession of firearms by an illegal alien.

• Eljvir Duka, 25, of Cherry Hill: conspiracy to murder members of the U.S.military, and possession of firearms by illegal aliens. The jury acquittedon one count of possession and attempted possession of machine guns infurtherance of a crime of violence.

• Serdar Tatar, 25, of Philadelphia: conspiracy to murder members of theU.S. military.

A sixth co-defendant, Agron Abdullahu, 26, of Buena Vista Township, AtlanticCounty, pleaded guilty before Judge Kugler on Oct. 31, 2007, to aiding andabetting the Duka brothers’ illegal possession of weapons. Abdullahu was arrested on May 7, 2007, along with the defendants convictedtoday. On March 31, 2008, Judge Kugler sentenced Abdullahu to 420 months infederal prison.

The charge of conspiracy to murder members of the U.S. military carries asentence of any number of years up to life in prison. The charge ofpossession of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence carries astatutory maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment. The charge of attemptedpossession of AK-47 semi-automatic assault weapons to be used in the attackcarries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Each count ofunlawful possession of machine guns carries a maximum statutory penalty of10 years in prison. Each count of being an illegal alien in possession offirearms carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.

Marra credited the Special Agents of the FBI's Philadelphia Division and theFBI South Jersey Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of SpecialAgent in Charge Fedarcyk, in Philadelphia, for investigation of the case.

Marra and Fedarcyk also thanked investigators with member agencies of theFBI South Jersey Joint Terrorism Task Force, which comprises ICE’sPhiladelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge JohnP. Kelleghan, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction ofthe Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk, NJ State Police, under the direction of Col.Joseph "Rick" Fuentes, Superintendent, and the Delaware River Port AuthorityPolice, under the direction of Chief Dave McClintock, for their tirelessefforts on the investigation.

Additionally, Marra and Fedarcyk would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance and support: the U.S. military services at Fort Dix,Fort Monmouth, Dover Air Force Base, and the U.S. Coast Guard inPhiladelphia, along with the Cherry Hill Police Department, Mt. Laurel Police Department, Cherry Hill Fire Department, Camden CountySheriff's Department, Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania StatePolice, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, and N.J. HomelandSecurity.