Jeffrey Battle
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Leon Battle was a member of a terrorist group dubbed the Portland Seven, some members of which attempted to travel to Afghanistan
shortly after 9/11 in order to aid the Taliban. He refused to cooperate with the government and was sentenced to eighteen years in prison after pleading guilty to seditious conspiracy and levying war against the United States
. He had two years added to his sentence for refusing to testify before a grand jury.
"Battle was a ne'er-do-well, a one-time Mary Kay cosmetics
representative who was trying to wriggle out of his commitment to the U.S. Army reserves after washing out in boot camp."
Battle moved to Portland in the late 1990s from Houston, Texas
, where he served as a bodyguard for New Black Panther leader and community activist Quanell X
.
who was acting on a tip from a neighbor who had heard gunfire in the pit. Deputy Mercer let the men go after taking their names and reported the incident to the FBI. Battle was taped in a secretly recorded conversation indicating the members of the Portland Seven who were at the gravel pit had considered killing Deputy Mercer. “We was up there blowin it up … We was lightin’ it up … [W]e looked at it as worship because what our intentions were, to learn to shoot for. And a cop came up and he was like hey … you don’t understand how close he was gonna get popped … yeah, we was gonna pop him.” Battle later indicated they had opted not to kill the officer because he seemed "cool."
According to the indictment, on October 17, 2001, Battle and al Saoub flew out of Portland International Airport
en route to Afghanistan. On October 20, 2001, Ford and the two Bilals also took the same route out of the United States.
Between October 2001 and January 2002, Lewis wired a series of money orders to Battle in China
and Bangladesh
.
In January 2002 Battle was administratively discharged from the military. Battle returned to the U.S. on or about February 5, 2002.
The six male members of the group travelled to China in early 2002, with the intent of entering Afghanistan to aid the Taliban. Lacking visas and other documentation, they were turned back, and all but al Saoub then returned again to the United States.
On Thursday, October 3, 2002, a federal grand jury in United States District Court for the District of Oregon
, at Portland, Oregon, indicted Battle, Ford, the two Bilals, al Saoub and Lewis. On October 4, 2002 the FBI in Portland, Oregon announced the arrest of four of those original six on charges of aiding and, in some cases, trying to join Al-Qaida fighters. Battle, ford and Lewis were all arrested that morning in Portland.
, another member of the Portland Seven, were married in 1999, divorcing after five months (although they continued to live together). According to Lewis' mother, Lewis and Battle had worked in a Portland retirement home.
Battle's attorney said that Battle was motivated by a religious desire to help fellow Muslims. However, prosecutors maintain that Battle had earlier considered committing a different terrorist act in the United States. "He had said he wanted to kill hundreds of Jews
at a Portland-area synagogue
or Jewish school."
, Jeffrey Leon Battle, October Lewis, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal
, his brother Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Maher "Mike" Hawash
, and Habis Abdulla al Saoub
made up the original seven members wanted by the FBI. Al Saoub was killed by Pakistan
i forces in Afghainstan while part of an al Qaeda cell. Ford is also serving an eighteen-year sentence. Lewis was sentenced to three years in a federal prison camp. Muhammad Bilal got eight years while Ahmed Bilal got ten. Hawash was sentenced to seven years.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
shortly after 9/11 in order to aid the Taliban. He refused to cooperate with the government and was sentenced to eighteen years in prison after pleading guilty to seditious conspiracy and levying war against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He had two years added to his sentence for refusing to testify before a grand jury.
Background
Jeffrey Battle had a checkered past. According to an article in the Star-Ledger,"Battle was a ne'er-do-well, a one-time Mary Kay cosmetics
Mary Kay
Mary Kay, Inc. is a privately held company that sells skin care and cosmetics products. Mary Kay World Headquarters is located in Addison, Texas, United States, a Dallas suburb. Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Inc. on Friday, September 13, 1963...
representative who was trying to wriggle out of his commitment to the U.S. Army reserves after washing out in boot camp."
Battle moved to Portland in the late 1990s from Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, where he served as a bodyguard for New Black Panther leader and community activist Quanell X
Quanell X
Quanell X is the leader of the New Black Panther Party in Houston, Texas.-Early life:Quanell Ralph Evans was born in Los Angeles, California. Both parents were Nation of Islam converts...
.
First contact with law enforcement
On September 29, 2001, a group of men from what would later be termed the Portland Seven were engaged in shooting practice in a gravel Skamania County, in southern Washington, including Battle, Ford, al Saoub and Ali Khalid Steitiye, who was not a member of the Portland Seven but convicted in 2002 on firearms, fraud and immigration charges and testified against the others in 2004 as part of a plea agreement in a weapons-possession charge. The group was discovered by Deputy Sheriff Mark MercerMark Mercer
Mark Kenneth Mercer is an American former professional baseball pitcher from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He pappeared in seven games in Major League Baseball for the 1981 Texas Rangers....
who was acting on a tip from a neighbor who had heard gunfire in the pit. Deputy Mercer let the men go after taking their names and reported the incident to the FBI. Battle was taped in a secretly recorded conversation indicating the members of the Portland Seven who were at the gravel pit had considered killing Deputy Mercer. “We was up there blowin it up … We was lightin’ it up … [W]e looked at it as worship because what our intentions were, to learn to shoot for. And a cop came up and he was like hey … you don’t understand how close he was gonna get popped … yeah, we was gonna pop him.” Battle later indicated they had opted not to kill the officer because he seemed "cool."
According to the indictment, on October 17, 2001, Battle and al Saoub flew out of Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
en route to Afghanistan. On October 20, 2001, Ford and the two Bilals also took the same route out of the United States.
Between October 2001 and January 2002, Lewis wired a series of money orders to Battle in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
In January 2002 Battle was administratively discharged from the military. Battle returned to the U.S. on or about February 5, 2002.
The six male members of the group travelled to China in early 2002, with the intent of entering Afghanistan to aid the Taliban. Lacking visas and other documentation, they were turned back, and all but al Saoub then returned again to the United States.
On Thursday, October 3, 2002, a federal grand jury in United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
, at Portland, Oregon, indicted Battle, Ford, the two Bilals, al Saoub and Lewis. On October 4, 2002 the FBI in Portland, Oregon announced the arrest of four of those original six on charges of aiding and, in some cases, trying to join Al-Qaida fighters. Battle, ford and Lewis were all arrested that morning in Portland.
Trial
Battle and October Martinique LewisOctober Lewis
October Martinique Lewis was a member of a terrorist group dubbed the Portland Seven, some members of which attempted to travel to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 in order to aid the Taliban. Lewis was sentenced to three years in a federal prison camp after cooperating with the government and...
, another member of the Portland Seven, were married in 1999, divorcing after five months (although they continued to live together). According to Lewis' mother, Lewis and Battle had worked in a Portland retirement home.
Battle's attorney said that Battle was motivated by a religious desire to help fellow Muslims. However, prosecutors maintain that Battle had earlier considered committing a different terrorist act in the United States. "He had said he wanted to kill hundreds of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
at a Portland-area synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
or Jewish school."
Fate of other members of the Portland Seven
Patrice Lumumba FordPatrice Lumumba Ford
Patrice Lumumba Ford has been accused of membership in a terrorist group dubbed the Portland Seven, members of which attempted to travel to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 in order to aid the Taliban...
, Jeffrey Leon Battle, October Lewis, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal
Muhammad Bilal
Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal was a member of a terrorist group dubbed the Portland Seven, some members of which attempted to travel to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 in order to aid the Taliban. In October 2002, Bilal was indicted and shortly thereafter arrested in Detroit...
, his brother Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Maher "Mike" Hawash
Mike Hawash
Maher Mofeid "Mike" Hawash is a Palestinian-born American engineer who was convicted and sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence in 2003 for conspiring to aid the Taliban in fighting against U.S. forces and their allies in Afghanistan...
, and Habis Abdulla al Saoub
Habis Abdulla al Saoub
Habis Abdulla al Saoub, aka Abu Tarek, was a Jordanian national and member of the Portland Seven, and later a member of an al Qaeda cell...
made up the original seven members wanted by the FBI. Al Saoub was killed by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i forces in Afghainstan while part of an al Qaeda cell. Ford is also serving an eighteen-year sentence. Lewis was sentenced to three years in a federal prison camp. Muhammad Bilal got eight years while Ahmed Bilal got ten. Hawash was sentenced to seven years.