Mohamad Elzahabi
Encyclopedia
Mohamad Kamal Elzahabi is a Lebanese
national who worked as a small arms
instructor at an Afghan training camp
in the 1990s. During the War on Terror
, he was arrested based on his past associations,and was convicted of immigration fraud.
In 1986, he was granted permanent resident status.
He was a sniper and trained others on the use of the Dragunov sniper rifle at the Khalden training camp
.
He became acquainted with Abu Zubaydah
, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
and others during his time in the country. He also met Nabil al-Marabh, Bassam Kanj
and Raed Hijazi
at Khalden, relationships he would continue in the United States a decade later.
With the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, Elzahabi returned to the United States. When later asked by the Globe and Mail to explain what had happened amongst the Afghan Arabs
following the war, he replied "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".
In 1991, Elzahabi returned to Afghanistan for four years before suffering an abdominal gunshot wound in Kabul in 1995, and a stay in a Peshawar
hospital where he was visited by Ahmed Khadr.
He moved from New York to Boston in 1997, and the following year was employed at the same cab company as al-Marabh and Kanj, from the training camp in Afghanistan. Although the four men each went their separate ways following the war, in 1998 they were all working as cab drivers in Boston, Massachusetts, the first three of them all working for the same company. When Hijazi, the fourth friend from Afghanistan, applied for a Massachusetts drivers license to begin driving a cab himself, he used Elzahabi's residential address - 15 Appleton Street, Everett
- as his own.
who wanted to know if he could support the Khalden camp. Although he declined the offer to return, he received an entry visa for Pakistan hoping to re-enter Afghanistan nonetheless. However, he eventually decided against the idea.
In 1999, he traveled to Lebanon. He left briefly to perform the Hajj
pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, but returned to Lebanon where he trained a number of fighters for Kanj, his friend from the Afghan camps who later worked as a cab driver. He specifically trained a group known as the Al-Dinnayyah Rebels.
He then went to fight as a sniper in the Second Chechen War
, although later claimed he only recalled firing his rifle once at a Russian soldier on a bulldozer
, and noted he was interested in finding himself a bride. American officials claim he was later given $300,000 by an unknown party who asked him to carry it into the embattled Russian region.
He moved to Montreal, Canada
and lived with family members, but upon being refused citizenship, returned to the United States in August 2001.
on August 23, 2001 in Minnesota. He traveled to Boston on September 7, and three days later wrote a cashier's cheque for $30,000, later explaining he felt it unsafe to travel with that much cash while he was "bouncing from city to city, in search of paid driving work". He later used the cash to purchase a 1998 Freightliner
18-wheel truck with leather seats. His license was granted in January 2002, and he applied for a further license allowing him to carry general freight in September 2003.
In late 2003, the FBI noted his appearance in the United States and hired an informant
to live in the same rooming house as Elzahabi, and acquired wiretaps and began following him - but there was no evidence he had any criminal aspirations. They approached him and asked him to stay in a hotel room with FBI agents for 17 days to be interrogated, and he agreed, citing his fear they were going to treat him like Maher Arar
if he refused. He gave interviews, took lie detector
tests, and gave the agents the passwords to his internet accounts. He was confronted by the FBI about Abdullah Almalki
, himself and his brother selling walkie-talkie
s to Pakistani customers, but denied knowledge of what was in the packages mailed from the New York garage. Classified American documents leaked to the Globe and Mail showed that he also told the FBI he vaguely knew Arar in Afghanistan, having "spotted him there in the early 1990s".
He received his insurance clearance to begin work in April 2004.
terrorist" and arrested by FBI agent Harry Samit
on April 16, 2004. On June 25, he was charged with lying to authorities for claiming to have had no knowledge of shipping any radio devices overseas with his brother and Almalki.
After the charges were dropped, the FBI pressed three charges of immigration fraud, after they found a "drug-addicted ex-stripper" at the Pink Pussycat Club in Houston
who testified a Lebanese student "named something like 'Lazahabi'" had paid her to marry him for a green card
.
The RCMP provided fax
es seized from Abdullah Almalki
's house during Project O Canada
, detailing the sale of the walkie-talkies to his brother. The FBI later affirmed that it bugged and videotaped his cell.
and released to the Department of Justice
for deportation proceedings. He was taken from prison in Elk River, Minnesota
, to the Immigration Holding Centre in El Paso, Texas
and was eventually removed from the United States the same year.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
national who worked as a small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
instructor at an Afghan training camp
Afghan training camp
An Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
in the 1990s. During the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, he was arrested based on his past associations,and was convicted of immigration fraud.
Entry to United States
Elzahabi entered the United States in 1984 on a student visa. He was married that year, but divorced in 1988. The marriage later led to his criminal conviction of immigration fraud.In 1986, he was granted permanent resident status.
Afghanistan
In 1988, Elzahabi attended a religious conference in the Mid-Western United States, where he was persuaded to travel and help repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.He was a sniper and trained others on the use of the Dragunov sniper rifle at the Khalden training camp
Khalden training camp
The Khalden training camp was a military training camp in Afghanistan. According to the documentary Son of al Qaeda there were hundreds of military training camps in Afghanistan which were tied to al Qaeda...
.
He became acquainted with Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
and others during his time in the country. He also met Nabil al-Marabh, Bassam Kanj
Bassam Kanj
Bassam Kanj was one of four men, Mohamad Elzahabi, Nabil al-Marabh, Kanj and Raed Hijazi, who met each other at the Khalden training camp where they were during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan...
and Raed Hijazi
Raed Hijazi
Born in California, Raed Hijazi was one of four men, Mohamad Elzahabi, Nabil al-Marabh, Bassam Kanj and Hijazi, who met each other at the Khalden training camp where they met during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan...
at Khalden, relationships he would continue in the United States a decade later.
With the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, Elzahabi returned to the United States. When later asked by the Globe and Mail to explain what had happened amongst the Afghan Arabs
Afghan Arabs
Afghan Arabs were Arab and other Muslim Islamist mujahideen who came to Afghanistan during and following the Soviet-Afghan War to help fellow Muslims fight Soviets and pro-Soviet Afghans....
following the war, he replied "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".
In 1991, Elzahabi returned to Afghanistan for four years before suffering an abdominal gunshot wound in Kabul in 1995, and a stay in a Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
hospital where he was visited by Ahmed Khadr.
Return to the United States
He returned to the United States in 1995 to recuperate from his wound. He worked with his brother Abdelrahman at a New York City garage titled Drive Axle Rebuilders, located at 47-33, 5th Street, from 1995-97.He moved from New York to Boston in 1997, and the following year was employed at the same cab company as al-Marabh and Kanj, from the training camp in Afghanistan. Although the four men each went their separate ways following the war, in 1998 they were all working as cab drivers in Boston, Massachusetts, the first three of them all working for the same company. When Hijazi, the fourth friend from Afghanistan, applied for a Massachusetts drivers license to begin driving a cab himself, he used Elzahabi's residential address - 15 Appleton Street, Everett
Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, near Boston. The population was 41,667 at the 2010 census.Everett is the last city in the United States with a bicameral legislature, which is composed of a seven-member Board of Aldermen and an 18-member Common Council...
- as his own.
Lebanon and Chechnya
He left the United States in 1998, and later received a phone call from Abu ZubaydahAbu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
who wanted to know if he could support the Khalden camp. Although he declined the offer to return, he received an entry visa for Pakistan hoping to re-enter Afghanistan nonetheless. However, he eventually decided against the idea.
In 1999, he traveled to Lebanon. He left briefly to perform the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, but returned to Lebanon where he trained a number of fighters for Kanj, his friend from the Afghan camps who later worked as a cab driver. He specifically trained a group known as the Al-Dinnayyah Rebels.
He then went to fight as a sniper in the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
, although later claimed he only recalled firing his rifle once at a Russian soldier on a bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
, and noted he was interested in finding himself a bride. American officials claim he was later given $300,000 by an unknown party who asked him to carry it into the embattled Russian region.
He moved to Montreal, Canada
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and lived with family members, but upon being refused citizenship, returned to the United States in August 2001.
Return to the United States
Elzahabi became a truck driver in the United States. He applied for a Commercial driver's licenseCommercial driver's license
A Commercial Driver's License is a driver's license required in the United States to operate any type of vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lb or more for commercial use, or transports quantities of hazardous materials that require warning placards under Department of...
on August 23, 2001 in Minnesota. He traveled to Boston on September 7, and three days later wrote a cashier's cheque for $30,000, later explaining he felt it unsafe to travel with that much cash while he was "bouncing from city to city, in search of paid driving work". He later used the cash to purchase a 1998 Freightliner
Freightliner
Freightliner can refer to* Freightliner Trucks, a heavy vehicle manufacturer in the United States* Freightliner Group Limited, a European rail-freight operator* Freight liner , describing a cargo ship operating to a repeating schedule...
18-wheel truck with leather seats. His license was granted in January 2002, and he applied for a further license allowing him to carry general freight in September 2003.
In late 2003, the FBI noted his appearance in the United States and hired an informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
to live in the same rooming house as Elzahabi, and acquired wiretaps and began following him - but there was no evidence he had any criminal aspirations. They approached him and asked him to stay in a hotel room with FBI agents for 17 days to be interrogated, and he agreed, citing his fear they were going to treat him like Maher Arar
Maher Arar
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
if he refused. He gave interviews, took lie detector
Lie Detector
"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
tests, and gave the agents the passwords to his internet accounts. He was confronted by the FBI about Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki is a Syrian-Canadian engineer who was imprisoned and tortured for two years in a Syrian jail after Canadian officials falsely indicated to the Syrian authorities and other countries that he was a terrorist threat....
, himself and his brother selling walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
s to Pakistani customers, but denied knowledge of what was in the packages mailed from the New York garage. Classified American documents leaked to the Globe and Mail showed that he also told the FBI he vaguely knew Arar in Afghanistan, having "spotted him there in the early 1990s".
He received his insurance clearance to begin work in April 2004.
Legal trouble
He was "branded an al-QaedaAl-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...
terrorist" and arrested by FBI agent Harry Samit
Harry Samit
Harry Samit is a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent based out of the FBI Field Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a former United States Navy naval aviator, Naval Intelligence Officer, and an FAA-certified private pilot....
on April 16, 2004. On June 25, he was charged with lying to authorities for claiming to have had no knowledge of shipping any radio devices overseas with his brother and Almalki.
After the charges were dropped, the FBI pressed three charges of immigration fraud, after they found a "drug-addicted ex-stripper" at the Pink Pussycat Club in Houston
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 ...
who testified a Lebanese student "named something like 'Lazahabi'" had paid her to marry him for a green card
United States Permanent Resident Card
United States lawful permanent residency refers to a person's immigration status: the person is authorized to live and work in the United States of America on a permanent basis....
.
The RCMP provided fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
es seized from Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki
Abdullah Almalki is a Syrian-Canadian engineer who was imprisoned and tortured for two years in a Syrian jail after Canadian officials falsely indicated to the Syrian authorities and other countries that he was a terrorist threat....
's house during Project O Canada
Project O Canada
Founded in 2001, Project O Canada was a Toronto-based anti-terrorism investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Created in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, subdivisions of the project named A-O Canada and C-O Canada were based in Ottawa and Montreal, RCMP Divisions A and C...
, detailing the sale of the walkie-talkies to his brother. The FBI later affirmed that it bugged and videotaped his cell.
Deportation
In 2007, he was convicted of possessing false immigration documents following 8 hours of jury deliberation, and sentenced to time servedTime served
In criminal law, "time served" describes a sentence where the defendant is credited immediately after the guilty verdict with the time spent in remand awaiting trial. The time is usually subtracted from the sentence, with only the balance being served after the verdict...
and released to the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
for deportation proceedings. He was taken from prison in Elk River, Minnesota
Elk River, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,447 people, 5,664 households, and 4,400 families residing in the city. Recent estimates show the population at 21,329 as of 2005. The population density was 385.5 people per square mile . There were 5,782 housing units at an average density of 135.5 per...
, to the Immigration Holding Centre in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
and was eventually removed from the United States the same year.