In 2010, Elton Simpson, the Jihadist who was killed in a shootout with Garland Police last night along with Nadir Soofi, Simpson’s roommate in North Phoenix, was placed on probation by a federal Judge after being found guilty of violating Title 18, U.S.C. §1001, (making a false statement). Simpson was found guilty after he was recorded by an FBI informant, Dabla Deng, who wore a wire while Simpson made plans for Jihad.
Judge Susan Bolton, best known for her rulings Arizona’s immigration law (SB1070) case, ordered that Simpson receive probation for his crime, finding that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the crime was directly involved with “international terrorism.” Although recordings of his conversations were played in court, in which he said he was leaving America to fight “the kaffir (non believers) for Allah,” Bolton only imposed a $600 fine.
According to the indictment:
As of 2009, FBI Phoenix had an open criminal investigation into whether defendant (Simpson), and certain of his associates, might travel to foreign countries, in particular Somalia, to fight jihad.
On February 26, 2008, Secretary of State Rice designated “al-Shabaab” as foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As of 2009, al Shabaab was engaged in a fighting targeting all aspects of the Transitional Federal Government, the government of Somalia established in 2004 under international auspices. Al-Shabaab has declared as its ultimate goal the imposition of Sharia, or strict Islamic law, throughout Somalia.
In May, 2009, Osama Bin Laden released an audiotape entitled “Fight On, Champions of Somalia,” calling on individuals to support jihad in Somalia.
During meetings between defendant and Deng, a frequent topic was jihad and the obligation to fight jihad overseas. On July 31, 2007, in a recorded conversation, defendant spoke about fighting the kaffir (non believers) for Allah, while “going out” from America, “because the brothers in like Palestine, and stuff they need help.” Defendant noted that “just the whole thing is how you get there, though,” and spoke about “wherever the Muslims are at,” but first “Palestine” because of Jewish oppression of Muslims; defendant also spoke of Afghanistan and Iraq. Defendant specifically criticized those people who “don’t believe that they should be over there fighting.”
On the subject of fighting, when Deng stated that “I know we can do it man. But you got to find the right people that,” defendant stated “Gotta have connects.”
On May 29, 2009, in a recorded conversation, defendant stated in part:
Defendant: Akee, it’s time to go to Somalia, brother.
Deng: Insha’Allah.
Defendant: Eh, we know plenty of brothers from Somalia, akee.
Defendant stated that if the “kuffar” are “fighting against us it’s because they don’t want us to establish sharia.”
Defendant and Deng discussed connections with Somalia, and defendant stated:
It’s time (singing). I’m telling you, man. We gonna make it to the battlefield, akee, its time to roll.
At that point Deng agreed he could leave America; defendant advised Deng on how to pay for his travel by selling his car, “that’s a plane ticket right there. Bye-bye America.”On June 17, 2009 defendant met with Deng again, and talked about his having sent to an associate a link discussing “the permissibility of doing the martyrdom operations,” about “how they gonna use the car with bombs on it;” according to defendant, after he sent the link, the FBI visited the person to whomhe sent the link.
On October 23, 2009, in a meeting with Deng and Roberto Yong, defendant stated:
Me and Yahya was talking about uh, me going to South Africa and then, uh, I make my way up to Somalia, and uh, he said, he said, what if you go to Somalia and you waiting on one of the brothers come pick you up, what if it’s me, hey that’ll be UI. I’d start crying.
Deng stated that if Deng went to the Sudan, defendant and Yong were welcome to come there; defendant stated that “Somalia likes 8 countries away from South Africa,” and “that’s a lot of travelling.”
On November 7, 2009, defendant, Deng, and Yong discussed fighting jihad; defendant asserted he was “going to school;” when Deng pointed out that you never know who is going to be a scholar or a mujahid, defendant stated: “Yeah, that’s the whole point. School is just a front. School is a front and if I am given the opportunity to bounce… .”
Shortly after that, Yong stated the group needed to come up with “what we gonna say” if authorities stopped them.
Defendant talked about he would “be real,” that they had to be “relaxed” and he would say “I’m just trying, trying to travel, trying to see the world.”The January 7, 2010 interview of Defendant
As of January 7, 2010, defendant did, in fact, have a plane ticket to travel to South Africa, as well as his passport. FBI Agents Hebert, Turner, and Storm visited defendant at his residence in Avondale, Arizona and asked to speak with him; defendant agreed and went outside, where the interview took place.
Defendant was asked whether he had any plans to travel outside the United States.
Defendant stated that he planned to travel to South Africa to study Islam at a madrassa; according to defendant he would be gone for about five years and did not have firm plans for what he would do after he completed his studies.
When asked whether, once in South Africa, defendant planned on staying in South Africa, defendant questioned why the FBI would ask him that. Defendant was asked whether he had discussed with anyone traveling to Somalia; again defendant questioned why he would be asked that. Agent Hebert asked defendant, in a yes or no question, whether defendant had discussed traveling to Somalia. Defendant said no.
Agents asked whether Yong had plans to travel abroad; defendant stated that he did not know of such plans.
The FBI showed defendant pictures of Roberto Yong, John Sabari, and Saabir Nurse. Defendant acknowledged knowing those individuals, and that the group got together, but stated that the FBI should not have a concern about the group. As the FBI agents were shaking defendant’s hand, and preparing to leave, defendant asked agents about Hassan Abu Jihad.Specifically, defendant asked about the status of Abu Jihad’s appeal of his federal conviction.
Abu Jihad was convicted in March, 2008 in federal district court in Connecticut, in United States v. Abu Jihad, CR 07-057-MRK, of providing material support to terrorists and of communicating national security information to persons not entitled to receive it. Abu Jihad had been sentenced on April 3, 2009 to ten years in prison for communicating national security information count, after the district court granted a post verdict motion of acquittal on the material support count. On January 7, 2010, after asking about Abu Jihad, defendant stated he was concerned about Abu Jihad’s future. Defendant and Abu Jihad knew each other from Abu Jihad’s previous time in Phoenix; Abu Jihad had been arrested in Phoenix in March, 2007 on the federal charges leading to his conviction.
At trial, the government’s proof will be that, at the time defendant made his false statement, he was being investigated by the FBI regarding his potential plan to do exactly what he lied about – go fight jihad in Somalia.
The activities defendant discussed with Deng and others, but lied about to the FBI, satisfy Section 2331’s definition of international terrorism. The statements were material to the FBI’s mission of disrupting and deterring international terrorism, even if the FBI agents knew that defendant’s statements denying having discussed travel to Somalia, were false, as defendant’s denial made necessary further investigation and assessment of defendant, including efforts to prevent his departure from the United States, and investigation of the threat posed by others with whom defendant had discussed traveling to Somalia.
According to the Center for Security Policy, audio recordings submitted by the FBI were heard in court:
Simpson told Deng that Allah loves an individual who is “out there fighting [non-Muslims]” and making difficult sacrifices such as living in caves, sleeping on rocks rather than sleeping in comfortable beds and with his wife, children and nice cars.
Simpson said, “If you get shot, or you get killed, it’s [heaven] straight away. [Heaven] that’s what we here for…so why not take that route?”
Simpson went on to describe the importance of Shariah law, and the willingness to fight to establish it:
They’re trying to make them live by man-made laws, not by Allah’s laws. That’s why they get fought. You try to make us become slaves to man? No we slave to Allah, we going to fight you to the death.”
According to the LATimes, Simpson’s mosque put up the $100,000 bail while he was being held on the false-statement charge. “I represented some of the worst of the worst, and I never would have thought he would do this,” Sitton told the LATimes. Sitton said, constantly pushing his religion on other people in prison and even Sitton himself.
Simpson attended the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix mosque until the FBI arrested him on the false statement charges.
Before and after the shooting in Garland, Twitter was the forum choice. One tweet, sent before the shooting read: #texasattack May Allah accept us as mujahideen.”
Anjem Choudary launched a Twitter campaign immediately after news broke about the attack today’s Muhammad Art Exhibit event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, according to the Wisconsin Daily Independent. Choudary (@anjemchoudary) tweeted, “#garlandshooting we must learn the lessons from Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, Theo Van Gogh & Chalie Hebdo not to insult the Messenger Muhammad (saw)!”
The winner of the Mohammed cartoon contest was Bosch Fawstin, a former Muslim. Fawstin is a cartoonist, blogger, and creator of the anti-jihad superhero, Pigman.