A federal indictment unsealed today by the Justice Department describes the activities of two former insurgents who allegedly participated in numerous attacks against US soldiers in Iraq. Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, appeared today in a Kentucky federal court after being arrested in Bowling Green, Ky. on May 25, 2011. The two men were named in a 23-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury the following day. From the Justice Department:
Alwan is 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. Hammadi is 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.
The FBI began its investigation into Alwan in September 2009, nearly a year and a half before Hammadi was implicated in the case. A confidential informant working for the FBI played a key role in the investigation, eventually recording multiple conversations with the accused in which they described their roles with the insurgency in Iraq. The details disclosed in the DOJ press release reveal Alwan’s activities as an insurgent from 2003 to May of 2006, when he was captured by Iraqi forces. During that time Alwan claimed to have “f–ked up” Hummers using IEDs hundreds of times with his insurgent group that conducted daily attacks against US forces. The other defendant, Hammadi, also had fought as an insurgent in Iraq; he allegedly told the informant that he had been arrested in Iraq when the car he was in got a flat tire shortly after he had planted an IED.
The recordings implicating Alwan are corroborated with evidence recovered by US forces in Iraq. In one conversation, Alwan allegedly told the informant that while in Iraq he worked at a power plant close to the city of Bayji. US forces had previously uncovered an unexploded IED in the same area and were able to recover fingerprints from the device that matched Alwan’s, which were provided by the FBI.
Alwan and Hammadi both entered the United States in 2009. A little more than a year after their arrival, the FBI’s informant had made contact with Alwan and began discussing ways to support terrorist activities in Iraq. For nearly a year, Alwan believed he was providing money, machine guns, RPGs, Stinger missiles, and plastics explosives to al Qaeda in Iraq – all of which were a part of the FBI’s sting operation. Alwan then recruited Hammadi, whom he referred to as a relative to the informant, to assist him in the operation, in which they continued to attempt to send money and weapons to al Qaeda for the months leading up to their arrest last week.
Each faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted of all the charges in the indictment. Both defendants were closely monitored by federal law enforcement authorities in the months leading up to their arrests. Neither is charged with plotting attacks within the United States.
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8 Comments
Poor dumb bastards are just like all the other “Ex” nazis who always seemed to wind up in retirement homes in Florida or Argentina right after they lost their wars too.
Hope these murderers and rapists burn.
ONLY!! life in prison. Sounds way too short for hundreds of IED attacks. There had to be some GI deaths in all those explosions.
How did they enter the U.S.A. ? What sort of visa, and why were they admitted ?
The DoJ article does not say.
To charge them with murder of a US citizen abroad you would have to prove that a particular IED they planted killed US soldiers. As the IEDs destroyed themselves (and the fingerprint evidence) the FBI can’t do that. But the conspiracy charges and confessions backed up with fingerprint evidence should suffice to convict them on the lesser charge. The outcome would be the same.
Two questions I would still like to know: How did they come to USA? were they given a green card? assylum? and if so how were they given assylum before many other Iraqis who are trying to go abroad? or did they sneak in?
Also, why did the Iraqi army release them? it all sounds very strange
That was my question. If they were captured with a flat tire while planting IEDS, how did they get out and how in heck did they get in the US?
And also, how many others did the same?
Smiling faces, just goes to show u can’t always believe what you see. Knew one of these guys very briefly in the work enviroment. Came across as a likeable sincere person. Check these people out make sure they are who and what they say they are before you allow them access to the American public. I am the American public and I don’t appreciate being anywhere near this sick twisted animal!
KP…..If you only knew!