Rafiq Abdus Sabir
Encyclopedia
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.
Born in New York
, Sabir was raised by his mentally ill mother after his father abandoned the family. He graduated from Columbia University
and worked as an emergency room physician in Boca Raton, Florida
(including at Glades General Hospital) and Saudi Arabia
, paying off $750,000 from medical school
debts, living with his common-law wife Arlene Morgan, and their two sons.
He was approached by undercover FBI agent Ali Soufan
, who pretended to a member of al-Qaeda
wanting to set up medical care for injured fighters. Sabir was arrested on May 28, 2005 at his home in the Villa San Remo gated community
, where he had lived for the past two years.
Sabir is a friend of Tarik Shah
, a New York jazz
musician and martial-arts
expert who was convicted of agreeing to provide training to Iraqi insurgents. Shah pled guilty and agreed to serve 15 years in prison, and was the one who gave the FBI Sabir's name as a "co-accomplice". Brooklyn bookstore owner Abdulrahman Farhane
and Washington D.C. cabdriver Mahmud al-Mutazzim received 13 and 15 years imprisonment respectively, in the same FBI sting operation
.
Shah and Sabir swore Bayat together, though Sabir later claimed that since the oath was simply repeating Arabic
that was read to him by the FBI agent, he hadn't understood what was being said, and that the agent's primitive Arabic resulted in words like "al-Qaeda" being mispronounced and undecipherable, as demonstrated in audiotapes played for the courtroom. Federal prosecutor Karl Metzner argued that since Sabir had lived in Saudi Arabia
for several months, he must be able to speak Arabic.
Other evidence argued by Metzner included the fact that Sabir was a legal firearms owner.
Sabir was found guilty on May 21, 2007, and expressed disappointment with the verdict through his lawyer Ed Wilford. On November 28, 2007, Sabir was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, out of a possible maximum of 30.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
convicted of supporting terrorism, had agreed to provide medical treatment to insurgents wounded in the US-led Invasion of Iraq.
Born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Sabir was raised by his mentally ill mother after his father abandoned the family. He graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and worked as an emergency room physician in Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
(including at Glades General Hospital) and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, paying off $750,000 from medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
debts, living with his common-law wife Arlene Morgan, and their two sons.
He was approached by undercover FBI agent Ali Soufan
Ali Soufan
Ali H. Soufan is a Lebanese-American former FBI agent who was involved in a number of high-profile anti-terrorism cases both in the United States and around the world...
, who pretended to a member of 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...
wanting to set up medical care for injured fighters. Sabir was arrested on May 28, 2005 at his home in the Villa San Remo gated community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
, where he had lived for the past two years.
Sabir is a friend of Tarik Shah
Tarik Shah
Tarik Shah was a New York musician arrested in 2005 as part of a sweep against Americans accused of supporting terrorism.He was convicted after he was asked by a government informant whether he would use his martial arts prowess to teach members of the Iraqi insurgency.-Discography:* Pharoah...
, a New York jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician and martial-arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
expert who was convicted of agreeing to provide training to Iraqi insurgents. Shah pled guilty and agreed to serve 15 years in prison, and was the one who gave the FBI Sabir's name as a "co-accomplice". Brooklyn bookstore owner Abdulrahman Farhane
Abdulrahman Farhane
Abdulrahman Farhane was a New York bookstore owner arrested in 2005 as part of a sweep against Americans accused of supporting terrorism.He was convicted after he was asked by a government informant to donate money to help Islamic fighters purchase weapons to fight against American and other...
and Washington D.C. cabdriver Mahmud al-Mutazzim received 13 and 15 years imprisonment respectively, in the same FBI sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
.
Shah and Sabir swore Bayat together, though Sabir later claimed that since the oath was simply repeating Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
that was read to him by the FBI agent, he hadn't understood what was being said, and that the agent's primitive Arabic resulted in words like "al-Qaeda" being mispronounced and undecipherable, as demonstrated in audiotapes played for the courtroom. Federal prosecutor Karl Metzner argued that since Sabir had lived in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
for several months, he must be able to speak Arabic.
Other evidence argued by Metzner included the fact that Sabir was a legal firearms owner.
Sabir was found guilty on May 21, 2007, and expressed disappointment with the verdict through his lawyer Ed Wilford. On November 28, 2007, Sabir was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, out of a possible maximum of 30.