Terrorism suspect has
been secretly held in New York since October
A battle-hardened
al-Qaeda veteran who fought U.S. troops in Afghanistan
and planned to bomb U.S. diplomatic facilities in
Nigeria has been held in secret federal custody in New
York since October, according to court documents
unsealed Wednesday.
Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun, also known as
“Spin Ghul,” was extradited from Italy last year and
indicted on six charges, including conspiracy to murder
American military personnel, conspiracy to bomb
diplomatic buildings and providing material support to
al-Qaeda.
Harun has been cooperating with federal authorities since they first
questioned him in Italy. And with the consent of his two defense
lawyers, the government asked a federal judge to keep Harun’s indictment
under seal so it could “take full advantage” of the information he was
providing.
Disclosure of Harun’s detention comes two weeks after U.S.
authorities said they had captured a former spokesman for al-Qaeda and
secretly transferred him to New York to face a criminal trial.
Italian authorities supported the U.S. extradition on the condition
that Harun be brought before a civilian court and not be held in
military custody or tried in a military commission. Last October,
Britain laid down the same conditions when it
extradited five terrorism suspects , underscoring European
skepticism about the use of military tribunals against al-Qaeda
suspects.
According to the government motion to seal the court proceedings,
which was made public Wednesday, Harun had been in contact with
“numerous prominent al-Qaeda leaders, trainers and fighters” over the
past 12 years, as well as with many members of extremist groups in
Africa that are “affiliated with al-Qaeda or otherwise target
Westerners.”
U.S. concern about terrorist groups in Africa has surged in recent
months in the wake of
an attack on Westerners working at a natural-gas facility in
Algeria,
the rise of Islamist extremists in Mali and North Africa, and an
ongoing
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria.
The peripatetic Harun is a citizen of Niger who was born in Saudi
Arabia. He moved to Afghanistan to join al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks, according to court documents, and fought against U.S.
forces in Afghanistan with a Pakistan-based group until he was wounded.
In 2003, he traveled from Pakistan to Nigeria to attack U.S. diplomatic
facilities, according to court documents.
When one of his alleged co-conspirators was arrested, Harun left
Nigeria for Niger and then crossed into Libya, where he was detained and
held from 2005 until 2011, when he was released. It is unclear whether
he was freed when the regime of
Moammar Gaddafi released some prisoners or whether the facility
where he was held was taken over by rebels.
In June 2011, Harun was put on a refugee boat bound for Italy, but
he assaulted Italian officers while at sea and declared himself a member
of al-Qaeda. He was arrested on the ship.
He was indicted in New York in February 2012, and the Naples Court of
Appeals ordered his extradition in July 2012; the proceedings in Italy
were open but drew no attention.
Over three days in September, in the presence of his Italian lawyer
and having waived his Miranda right to remain silent, Harun was
interviewed by the FBI in Italy before he was taken to New York in
October.
Those voluntary interviews appear to have continued in New York, and
the unsealing of the indictment Wednesday could be the prelude to a plea
agreement. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
Harun has a court appearance scheduled for Friday.
washingtonpost.com
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