Two Iraqi nationals indicted on terrorism charges in the U.S.

Two Iraqi nationals indicted on terrorism charges in the U.S.

2011-06-02 00:13:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY (BNO NEWS) -- Two Iraqi nationals were indicted on federal terrorism charges in Kentucky for their alleged roles in attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, both currently residing in Bowling Green, Kentucky were arrested and charged in a 23-count indictment on May 26.

Alwan was arrested on May 25 for allegedly carried out many attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against U.S. troops in Iraq. Hammadi allegedly participated in the insurgency in the Middle Eastern country.

In the indictment, Hammadi was charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda in Iraq, as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess, and export Stinger missiles.

Alwan was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives) against U.S. nationals abroad; distributing information on the manufacture and use of IEDs; attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda in Iraq; as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess, and export Stinger missiles.

The two defendants face a potential sentence of life in prison each if convicted on all charges. The arrests were the result of an extensive investigation that closely monitored the Iraqi nationals for months after they entered the U.S. in 2009.

The FBI used a confidential source who met with Alwan and Hammadi beginning in August 2010 and January 2011 respectively. The conversations were recorded and the two defendants discussed their previous activities in Iraq.

Alwan said that he was an insurgent in Iraq from 2003 until his capture by Iraqi authorities in May 2006. He added that he used to procure explosives and missiles and conducted daily strikes with his insurgent group.

In one recorded conversation, Alwan claimed to have detonated IEDs in Iraq hundreds of times, some of them against U.S. troops and Bradley fighting vehicles. He detailed how to construct the bombs and even drew four diagrams for the FBI source.

The FBI was later able to match Alwan with two latent fingerprints on a component of an unexploded IED that was recovered by U.S. forces near Bayji, Iraq. The defendant previously stated he lived and worked in that area.

On the other hand, Hammadi discussed his prior experience as an insurgent in Iraq and detailed his participation in IED attacks in Iraq. He was arrested in his native country when his car sustained a flat tire after placing an explosive device nearby.

Furthermore, Alwan expressed his desire to the source for providing support to terrorists in Iraq beginning in September 2010. The FBI source offered him to participate in shipping money and weapons to Iraq's mujahidin.

The defendant allegedly provided money, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, Stinger missiles, C4 plastic explosives and IED diagrams to what he believed where mujahidin and al-Qaeda operatives but instead were delivered to law enforcement as part of the undercover operation.

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