Filipino-American Ralph Kenneth De Leon and two other men accused of plotting to join up with al Qaeda and Taliban militants for training in Afghanistan were indicted on Wednesday in California, a move that could allow prosecutors to move to trial more quickly. However, the four-page indictment, returned by a grand jury in Riverside, offered few details beyond those contained in a criminal complaint filed earlier this month against the men, all US citizens or permanent residents. The indictment charged De Leon, 23, Miguel Alejandro Vidriales Santana, 21, and Arifeen David Gojali, 21, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, the same charge contained in the complaint. The filing of the indictment allows federal prosecutors to skip a preliminary hearing in which they would lay out their case and a judge would determine if there was enough evidence to merit a trial. The men each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The three men had lived in Southern California's Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, before their arrest on Nov. 16, two days before they had planned to fly to Turkey via Mexico before heading on to Afghanistan, the FBI said at the time. The suspected ringleader, Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, is accused of recruiting the three men, two of whom converted to Islam under his influence......
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Fil-Am terror suspect, two others indicted in California
From GMANews (Nov 29): Fil-Am terror suspect, two others indicted in California
Filipino-American Ralph Kenneth De Leon and two other men accused of plotting to join up with al Qaeda and Taliban militants for training in Afghanistan were indicted on Wednesday in California, a move that could allow prosecutors to move to trial more quickly. However, the four-page indictment, returned by a grand jury in Riverside, offered few details beyond those contained in a criminal complaint filed earlier this month against the men, all US citizens or permanent residents. The indictment charged De Leon, 23, Miguel Alejandro Vidriales Santana, 21, and Arifeen David Gojali, 21, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, the same charge contained in the complaint. The filing of the indictment allows federal prosecutors to skip a preliminary hearing in which they would lay out their case and a judge would determine if there was enough evidence to merit a trial. The men each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The three men had lived in Southern California's Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, before their arrest on Nov. 16, two days before they had planned to fly to Turkey via Mexico before heading on to Afghanistan, the FBI said at the time. The suspected ringleader, Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, is accused of recruiting the three men, two of whom converted to Islam under his influence......
Filipino-American Ralph Kenneth De Leon and two other men accused of plotting to join up with al Qaeda and Taliban militants for training in Afghanistan were indicted on Wednesday in California, a move that could allow prosecutors to move to trial more quickly. However, the four-page indictment, returned by a grand jury in Riverside, offered few details beyond those contained in a criminal complaint filed earlier this month against the men, all US citizens or permanent residents. The indictment charged De Leon, 23, Miguel Alejandro Vidriales Santana, 21, and Arifeen David Gojali, 21, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, the same charge contained in the complaint. The filing of the indictment allows federal prosecutors to skip a preliminary hearing in which they would lay out their case and a judge would determine if there was enough evidence to merit a trial. The men each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The three men had lived in Southern California's Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, before their arrest on Nov. 16, two days before they had planned to fly to Turkey via Mexico before heading on to Afghanistan, the FBI said at the time. The suspected ringleader, Sohiel Omar Kabir, 34, is accused of recruiting the three men, two of whom converted to Islam under his influence......
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