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Fla. grand jury indicts twofor terror activities

A Florida court charged two men for supporting terrorists by giving money to organizations that that allegedly recruited for al-Qaida.
/ Source: The Associated Press

Two men were charged Thursday with providing financial support to terrorists and recruiting terror group members, including one person identified by U.S. authorities as alleged “dirty bomber” Jose Padilla.

A 10-count grand jury indictment handed up in Miami charges Adgan Amin Hassoun and Mohamed Hesham Youssef with providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to provide support. Hassoun has been in custody on other charges in Florida since June 2003 and Youssef is jailed in Egypt.

The indictment contends that Hassoun helped recruit individuals from the United States for groups engaging in Islamic “jihad,” or holy war, in several countries.

Attorney General John Ashcroft, who announced the charges at a news conference, said accusations against Hassoun and Youssef include a conversation in September 2000 in which they discussed supporting the travel of a U.S. citizen who had applied to attend a terrorist training camp in the Middle East. The citizen, whom Ashcroft did not name, returned to the United States in May 2002.

Although he is not named in the indictment, two federal law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity identified that person as Padilla, a U.S. citizen and alleged al-Qaida member accused of plotting attacks in the United States. Padilla is being held in the United States as an enemy combatant.

Prosecutors have said Padilla attended the al Farouq training camp in Afghanistan between September and October 2000 using the name Abdullah al-Espani. Padilla was arrested in May 2002 returning to Chicago, where he grew up.