NBC: U.S. citizen accused of aiding al-Zarqawi

[ECH1969]

The American, Shawqi Omar, who lived for years in Minnesota, Utah and North Carolina, allegedly met with al-Zarqawi on numerous occasions and is related to the al-Qaida leader, through marriage, new federal court documents reveal. Omar is also one of 12 people charged Oct. 17, 2004, with plotting a chemical attack in Jordan.

The general's declaration said Omar had “several weapons and Improvised Explosive Device-making materials in his home,” and that there is “testimonial evidence of Mr. Omar's numerous private meetings with al-Zarqawi.”

The declaration adds that Omar “was captured harboring an Iraqi insurgent and four Jordanian foreign fighters" and that they all conducted surveillance of potential kidnap victims within Baghdad. Omar allegedly used his English skills “to visit Baghdad hotels in order to entice foreigners to return to Omar's home for the purpose of their kidnap and ransom.”

Omar's family denies his terrorist connections. His lawyers said that, as an American citizen, Omar should be allowed to face charges in an American court of law. Currently, he is being held by the U.S. coalition forces in an Iraqi prison as an “enemy combatant.”

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11225752/

[Mythsaje]

1. He is so screwed...n/t

[Fridays Child]

2. Do they mean besides George Bush?

[HuffleClaw]

3. suuuuuuuuuure

'enemy combatant'? the 'central criminal court of iraq'? sounds like one of their usual 'guilt by association' games to me. probably his reconstruction business was taking money out of the hands of halliburton so he had to be 'dealt with'.

[MrPrax]

4. Someone's Spook is Missing n/t

[Straight Shooter]

5. He's related to him through marriage, and he's met with him.

Not a big stretch.

That being said, instead of classifying him as an enemy combatant, let's bring it all out into the sunshine and try him in an American court. Let's see what our billions of tax $$$ have bought us.

[ECH1969]

6. Prisoner's Transfer To Iraqis Is Blocked

A U.S. District Court judge blocked the federal government from transferring an American citizen to the custody of the Iraqi government, noting Friday that the move could place the prisoner at risk of torture and indefinite confinement.

In temporarily blocking Omar's transfer, U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo M. Urbina acknowledged that the case is laden with constitutional questions.

"The court recognizes the tension created by the constitutional implications arising out of judicial versus executive branch authority on the matter," Urbina wrote. "The court directs counsel to address this issue head on."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/03/AR2006020303003.html

[orleans]

7. if this guy is an amercian citizen--then of course they should not be

allowed to take him out of the country for any reason!

i'm glad the judge said NO

(first they go to iraq to be questioned, then the rest of us get thrown in those lovely detention centers kellog brown & root are building...hum...)

[stillcool]

8. Is there any .....any proof at all....

that Zarqawi is a real person? Cripes I could be his long lost relative...

[ECH1969]

9. Al-Zarqawi couldn’t kill women, children, says wife

The wife of suspected al-Qaeda ally Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi said in an interview published on Thursday that her husband could not be a terrorist responsible for killing women and children.

"There’s no way that my husband could be a terrorist. He is friendly and a good man", the woman, identified as Umm Mohammed said in an interview with Jordan’s second largest newspaper, ad-Dustour.

"He would not recommend the killings of children, women and elderly people as they’re trying to portray him", she told the Arabic daily in an interview at the family’s home in Zarqa, 27 kilometers northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman. Repeated attempts by The AP to interview the family, including on Thursday, were turned down.

http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2004-daily/25-06-2004/world/w3.htm
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He has a couple wives and different families around which makes it possible that this guy did marry into one of his families.

[malachibk]

10. Hey! I bet they caught him via domestic wire tapping!

n/t

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

11. And if they did without a warrant

anything they got from that would be tossed assuming of course he was in the US at the time of the wiretap and a US court would uphold the Constitution.

DBDB

[malachibk]

13. Ah, you assume far too much

"Uphold the Constitution". How provincial of you.

[pinniped]

12. That's impossible because there is no al-Zarqawi super-terra dude.

.