Florida College Student Arrested In Off-limits Area of Pakistan
October 14, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
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A U.S. citizen was arrested on unspecified charges Monday in a rugged tribal area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and is forbidden to most foreigners, a Pakistani official said. Jude Kenan, a Florida college student, was arrested in Shabqadar, in the Charsadda district of the Mohmand Agency in North Waziristan, said Pakistan Police Station House Officer Qayum Khan.
Officers were investigating what the man was doing in the border area, which is believed to be a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and other foreign extremists, said one officer, Pir Shahab.
Kenan was leaving the tribal areas through the Yakaghund police checkpoint when he was arrested, Khan said.
The only foreigners allowed in the district are those permitted by the Interior Ministry.
Authorities said Kenan had a U.S. passport as well as a camera, laptop and dagger. Kenan said he was in the region to meet “Habibullah,” the police official said.
Habibullah is a proper name in Afghanistan and is the name of an Afghan detainee who died in U.S. custody in 2002. The name means “God’s beloved” or “God’s favorite” in Arabic.
Kenan has been moved to the Shabqadar police station for further questioning, Khan said.
A U.S. embassy spokesman said he had no information on the arrest.
Asked whether he was believed to be a journalist, a tourist, a researcher, or a suspected militant, Shahab said: “These are the questions we are trying to investigate.”
No doubt he is there to become a militant
Let’s not jump to conclusions, here. This could be a simple case of researching in terror. The dagger being present, not a gun which are in abundance of he were a militant, merely means he was “looking for Habibullah” or he wanted to meet bin Laden, or was going to commit suicide…His camera (tourist) and laptop (student) are also signs of doubt. Though I will recant all of the above with just the slightest link toward terrorism, I say that we should now let the proper authorities question his whereabouts and keep posted.
SSG H
My first thoughts are: You only go somewhere looking for something
that is #1) near to your heart #2) you are paid to go #3) you
are a very curious sort of person with lots of money to roam around
#4) you are on a “religous” quest to satisfy some spiritual duty/need #5) you are confused so you are “looking”
for answers.
Second thoughts: College students tend to be “all of the above” since they are in the formation stage still. It is disturbing to
know that this area is highly suspect for terrorism and a college
student might get an “idea” here and bring it back. Even if it
was in the quest for knowledge, it is highly suspecious.