Internet a Meeting Ground for Would-Be Militants and Accused Terrorists
Two men accused of shooting videos of the Capitol and other nearby sites in hopes they would impress terrorists were able to make contact through the Internet, according to details that emerged in pretrial hearings last week.
The men, Georgia Tech engineering student Syed Haris Ahmed and his friend Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, are charged with providing support to foreign terrorists, the Washington Post reports. Ahmed told authorities during 12 hours of FBI interviews that he and his co-defendant sent the surveillance videos to “Jihadi people” they met online through Web forums and chat rooms, the Post story says. At least five of the men’s online friends have since been charged in terrorism cases here and overseas.
Ahmed said he hoped the videos would impress radicals who could help him gain access to militant training camps. Ahmed’s lawyers are seeking to suppress the interview statements.
