A former Bradley University student pleaded guilty in Peoria federal court today to conspiring with, and providing support for, Al Qaeda operatives in the months before and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Ali al-Marri, 43, (seen in this picture in his super secret spy outfit that allowed him to just blend right in Midwestern town of Peoria IL - I mean look at that Mullet!) spoke softly and occasionally smiled as U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm read aloud a timeline of criminal activity that included meetings with two key architects of the terrorist attacks, participating in terrorist training camps in Pakistan and researching cyanide compounds and other chemical agents purportedly for an attack on U.S soil.
"Ali al-Marri today admitted that he came here, to Peoria, Illinois, as an Al Qaeda operative the day before the Sept. 11 attacks to plan and prepare for future acts of terrorism within the United States," said Jeffrey Lang, acting U.S. Attorney for the central district of Illinois.
Appearing in khaki pants, a plain white shirt and white kufi hat, the bearded al-Marri admitted to having associations with both Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, chief financier of the attacks, prior to arriving in the U.S. on Sept. 10, 2001 after obtaining a student visa from Bradley University.
While training at several terrorist camps in Pakistan, al-Marri admitted he became an expert with military weapons, learned to conceal his identity online and used his computer to research chemical agents that could be used in an attack.
U.S. attorneys culled from al-Marri's laptop computer research on various cyanide compounds, their toxicity levels and where they could be bought.
Al-Marri also admitted to exploring uses from sulfuric acid. And while it's not certain whether al-Marri planned to use these chemicals, U.S. agents also recovered from his house an almanac with pages book-marked showing U.S. bridges, roads and waterways.
A native of Qatar and a father of five, al-Marri was living in Peoria on a student visa when he was arrested.
He was initially charged in federal court and then suddenly shifted over to military custody and then held for years without charges.
Al-Marri is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Ill. His attorneys are seeking to have him serve his imprisonment in his native Qatar.Tribune staff reporters Josh Meyer and David G. Savage contributed to this report from Washington.
Al-Marri is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Ill. His attorneys are seeking to have him serve his imprisonment in his native Qatar.
- No doubt this story isn't even started. Again, the Obama Administration walks the tightrope of getting Al-Marri out of military custody - but will try him in the civilian courts. Obviously the political and National Security issues conflict here.Why Al-Marri isn't being hung NOW - and I mean RIGHT NOW for admission of treason and for crimes against humanity are unclear.
