Terrorism case has conflicting picture
By Craig Boerner,
cboerner@nashvillecitypaper.com
October 14, 2004
A conflicting picture emerged Wednesday in the case of Ahmed Hassan Al-Uqaily, a 33-year-old Iraqi native living in Nashville who is said to be heavily involved with the peace movement but who willingly withdrew $1,000 last week to purchase weapons illegally.
Al-Uqaily allegedly spoke of going jihad to a friend Aug. 4 and that he was going to blow something up. On Oct. 7, at the conclusion of a two-month FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force sting operation, he purchased two disassembled M-16 machine guns, four disassembled hand grenades, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from an undercover FBI agent.
He waived his Miranda rights immediately after being arrested and told agents he was working on a reverse sting.
In his wallet were business cards from law enforcement agents who had previously interviewed him following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, though FBI Special Agent Greg Franklin testified Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Clifton Knowles that Al-Uqaily had never contacted those agents about his reverse sting.
Wednesdays testimony was part of a combined detention and preliminary hearing that will be continued at 1:30 today. Al-Uqaily, who was wearing a yellow jumpsuit property of the Davidson County Sheriffs Office, remains in custody and seeks to be released until his trial for charges of illegally possessing machines guns begins.
Assistant Federal Public Defender David Baker asked Agent Franklin numerous questions Wednesday concerning allegations made about his client, Al-Uqaily.
Through questioning it became unclear if the prosecution has proof of the defendant saying he was going jihad and was going to blow something up, or if that would rely on testimony from the unnamed individual who filed an Aug. 5 complaint with the FBI after re-acquainting with the suspect by chance after 10 years.
Baker indicated that going jihad could be interpreted to mean spiritual warfare, although Assistant United States Attorney Eli Richardson, who is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, countered that the alleged statement, when coupled with and he was going to blow something up, could mean he intended to take part in a holy fight in support of the Muslim religion.
The FBI does have several taped conversations in which the defendant and FBI informant are said to be discussing the weapons purchase, although it is also unclear from Wednesdays testimony who initiated the discussions and what was going to be blown up.
Al-Uqaily allegedly told the individual cooperating with the FBI in September that he needed two or three machine guns with clips and bullets, as well as missiles, according to the affidavit.
During further conservations in October, the suspect allegedly expressed an interest in a missile designed for use against a tank, according to the affidavit.
When asked where he would go on his mission, Al-Uqaily allegedly expressed animosity towards the Jewish community, and a discussion ensued about two Jewish facilities in the Nashville area, but Al-Uqaily gave no indication of specific plans in connection with those facilities, according to the affidavit.
Al-Uqaily, who worked at Krispy Kreme on Thompson Lane, had $43,000 in his bank account on the day of his arrest and had made roughly $55,000 in wire transfers to Jordan and United Arab Emirates since 2001, according to Wednesdays testimony.
He was said to have worked an average of 66 hours a week, making an average of $4,000 per month, and had also received a $50,000 lawsuit settlement.
He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.