Man Sentenced For Role In Domestic Terror Plot
August 18, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A man was sentenced to 70 months in prison today for his role in a domestic terrorism plot to wage war on the United States by attacking Jewish synagogues and military bases. Hammad Riaz Samana is the fourth member of Jami’yyat Ul-Islam Is-Shaheeh, or JIS, a prison-founded group that wanted to make a political statement that also had plans to attack the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles and El Al Israel Airlines at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Samana was 21 when he was charged in the case in July 2005, along with the cell’s mastermind, Kevin James, and members Levar Haley Washington and Gregory Patterson.
The group committed armed robberies of 11 gas stations, including two in Fullerton, to buy weapons and gear for the attacks. Authorities said gas stations were chosen as targets because of the symbolism of the oil.
Samana had a smaller role in the plot, and conducted computer research on the terrorism targets, and was the getaway driver for one of the armed robberies, according to U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney at today’s sentencing hearing.
Carney acknowledged he was imposing a substantially lighter sentence on Samana than those given to the other men.
Israel On High Alert For Mass-casualty Terror Attack
September 25, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Israel’s military has been placed on high alert following an airline bomb scare and reports of other threats.
Officials said the intelligence community has warned of an imminent attack by either Al Qaida or Hizbullah against Israel. They said the Islamic insurgency could be planning the hijacking of an Israeli passenger jet that would then be crashed into an Israeli residential area.
“There is an assessment that something very bad will take place over the next few weeks, perhaps over the Jewish holidays,” an official said.
On Sept. 24, the Israeli military was ordered on high alert following a bomb scare involving an El Al passenger jet. Security officials received information that a bomb had been placed on plane scheduled to arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport from Paris that evening.
World Tribune — Israel on high alert for mass-casualty strikes
El Al Plane Flies From Paris to Tel Aviv Despite Bomb Threat
September 24, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
An El Al flight from Paris landed in Tel Aviv without incident on Wednesday after having been the subject of a bomb threat — days before it took off, Israeli television reported.
Public television reported that the Israeli airline had received an email saying a bomb would be on board Flight 324 leaving Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on Wednesday.
It said that after consultations between El Al and Shin Beth, Israel’s security service, a decision was taken not to cancel the flight.
It added that, before takeoff, the Boeing 767 and its 237 passengers were subjected to stepped-up security checks and that the French authorities, who had been informed of the threat, ordered an escort of fighter planes.
Italy and Greece also ordered escorts as the plane passed over their territory before being intercepted by Israeli fighters and escorted to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
After landing, the plane was subjected to further checks, and no bomb was found.
Officials at El Al were not immediately available for comment on the report.
El Al – Attack On Aircrew Thwarted In Canada
September 3, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Plans by an unknown group to attack staff of Israel’s national carrier El Al in Canada have been thwarted, Israel’s private Channel Two television reported on Wednesday.
Without giving the nationalities of the alleged attackers, it said they had monitored the comings and goings of El Al aircrew at a Toronto hotel. Read more
