Evan Kohlmann
Encyclopedia
Evan F. Kohlmann is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations.
He is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, a senior investigator with The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News
.
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
.
He attended the Georgetown University
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he studied under Mamoun Fandy
. Fandy's mentorship sparked his interest in Middle East politics. "When [Fandy] lived in Egypt, he passed by the number two guy in al-Qaeda
there every day. He really knew his subject."
Kohlmann entered the University of Pennsylvania Law School
in the fall of 2001, a few weeks before al-Qaeda's attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
He wrote Al- Qaida’s Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network while he was a law student. The first edition of the book was published by Oxford University Press
in 2002. "I turned to a classmate and said, ‘This is Osama Bin Laden
, and I have to go do something about it’."
He is a Senior Terrorism Consultant for The NEFA Foundation. He is also a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News
.
He has called Anwar al-Awlaki
"one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists. His fluency with English, his unabashed advocacy of jihad and mujahideen
organizations, and his Web-savvy approach are a powerful combination." He calls al-Awlaki's lecture "Constants on the Path of Jihad", which he says was based on a similar document written by al-Qaeda's founder, the "virtual bible for lone-wolf Muslim extremists."
" to be used as evidence during the Guantanamo Military Commissions. Carol Rosenberg
of the Miami Herald reported that "The Al Qaida Plan" was modeled after a film made for the Nuremberg tribunals called "The Nazi Plan
".
for the prosecution in terrorism trials. "There haven’t been that many cases yet, so sometimes the prosecutors are doing their first ones. I know how the courts work, so I am pretty valuable right now.”
He testified as an expert witness in the following cases:
in 2002. mirror
He is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, a senior investigator with The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
.
Early life and education
In a profile for the Penn Law Journal, Kohlmann said he spent summers in France while growing up, because his father studied there. Kohlmann graduated from Pine Crest SchoolPine Crest School
Pine Crest School is a private college preparatory school with campuses in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1934 by Mae McMillan who began as a tutor to children of families spending the winter in South Florida, USA. In 1995, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill became...
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
He attended the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he studied under Mamoun Fandy
Mamoun Fandy
Dr. Mamoun Fandy is an Egyptian-born American scholar who is known for his moderate views. He is president of the think tank Fandy Associates, a senior fellow at the Baker Institute, the United States Institute of Peace, and at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London...
. Fandy's mentorship sparked his interest in Middle East politics. "When [Fandy] lived in Egypt, he passed by the number two guy in al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
there every day. He really knew his subject."
Kohlmann entered the University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
in the fall of 2001, a few weeks before al-Qaeda's attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
Counter-terrorism career
Kohlmann worked as an intern at The Investigative Project, a Washington, DC, counter-terrorism think-tank.He wrote Al- Qaida’s Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network while he was a law student. The first edition of the book was published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
in 2002. "I turned to a classmate and said, ‘This is Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, and I have to go do something about it’."
He is a Senior Terrorism Consultant for The NEFA Foundation. He is also a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
.
He has called Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
"one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists. His fluency with English, his unabashed advocacy of jihad and mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
organizations, and his Web-savvy approach are a powerful combination." He calls al-Awlaki's lecture "Constants on the Path of Jihad", which he says was based on a similar document written by al-Qaeda's founder, the "virtual bible for lone-wolf Muslim extremists."
The Al Qaida Plan
Kohlmann produced "The Al Qaida PlanThe Al Qaida Plan
The Al Qaida Plan is a 90-minute movie produced by counter-terrorism expert Evan Kohlmann.It was sponsored by the Office of Military Commissions, to serve as evidence during the Guantanamo Military Commissions....
" to be used as evidence during the Guantanamo Military Commissions. Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg is a senior journalist, currently with the McClatchy News Service.Rosenberg works at the Miami Herald, which has provided extensive coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.-Biography:...
of the Miami Herald reported that "The Al Qaida Plan" was modeled after a film made for the Nuremberg tribunals called "The Nazi Plan
The Nazi Plan
The Nazi Plan is a 1945 American film directed by George Stevens. The film was produced and presented as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials for Hermann Göring and twenty other Nazi leaders.- Cast :*Hermann Göring as Himself...
".
Expert witness
Kohlmann has served frequently as an expert witnessExpert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
for the prosecution in terrorism trials. "There haven’t been that many cases yet, so sometimes the prosecutors are doing their first ones. I know how the courts work, so I am pretty valuable right now.”
He testified as an expert witness in the following cases:
| Case | Defendant | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. v. Sabri Benkhala | Sabri Benkhala | |
| U.S. v. Ali Timimi | Ali al-Timimi | |
| U.S. v. Uzair Paracha | Uzair Paracha | |
| U.S. v. Ali Asad Chandia | Ali Asad Chandia Ali Asad Chandia Ali Asad Chandia was a third-grade teacher at the Al-Huda School, of Dar-us-Salaam mosque, in College Park, Maryland in the USA.... |
|
| U.S. v. Yassin Aref | Yassin Aref |
Rohan Gunaratna Rohan Gunaratna is an international terrorism expert. He is the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research ] at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore... . |
| U.S. v. Rafiq Sabir | Rafiq Abdus Sabir Rafiq Abdus Sabir Rafiq Abdus Sabir, an American doctor convicted of supporting terrorism, had agreed to provide medical treatment to insurgents wounded in the US-led Invasion of Iraq.... |
Jihad Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is... ists, and to have sworn bayat to a government agent pretending to be al-Qaeda official. |
| U.S. v. Emadeddine Muntasser | Emadeddine Muntasser | |
| Regina v. Mohammed Ajmal Khan and Palvinder Singh |
|
|
| H.M.A. v. Lawyers | Mohammed Atif Sidique |
|
| Regina v. Samina Malik | Samina Malik Samina Malik Samina Malik, the self-described Lyrical Terrorist, was the first woman to be convicted under the UK's 2000 Terrorism Act. Malik, then a 23 year-old Heathrow Airport shop clerk from Southall, west London, was found guilty of "possessing records likely to be used for terrorism", but was earlier... |
|
| Regina v. Hassan Mutegombwa | Hassan Mutegombwa | |
| Regina v. Tsouli | Younes Tsouli (Irhabi 007) |
|
Publications
The first edition of the book was published by Oxford University PressOxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
in 2002. mirror
External links
- Globalterroralert.com Website run by Kohlmann