Al Qaeda Aide Extradited to Face Terror Charges

Haroon Aswat, a key aide to al Qaeda, was extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom on Oct. 21, 2014, to face charges of conspiring to provide and providing material support to the terrorist organization.

According to the indictment, Aswat, along with co-defendants Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, aka Abu Hamza, Ouassama Kassir, and Earnest James Ujaama, attempted to establish a terrorist training camp in the United States in late 1999. The camp was intended to support al Qaeda, a foreign terrorist organization designated by the United States Secretary of State.

The alleged terrorist training camp was to be located on a rural parcel of property in Bly, Oregon. Aswat conspired with Abu Hamza, Kassir, and Ujaama to establish the camp, which was intended to provide military-style jihad training to Muslims in preparation for fighting jihad in Afghanistan.

Aswat and Kassir traveled to the United States in November 1999 and arrived in New York before making their way to Bly. While in Bly, they received training on various types of weapons and explosives. The two men also traveled to Seattle, Washington, where they resided at a mosque and provided additional terrorist training lessons to men from the mosque.

The indictment alleges that Aswat and Kassir were involved in a plot to establish a terrorist training camp in the United States to support al Qaeda. The plot was allegedly coordinated by Abu Hamza, a radical cleric who was based in London at the time.

Aswat will make his first court appearance before U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest later today. The extradition of Aswat is a significant development in the ongoing effort to combat terrorism and hold accountable those who seek to harm the United States and its citizens.

Aswat’s extradition is the result of a joint effort between the United States government and British authorities. The extradition order was issued by the United Kingdom on Sept. 4, 2014, and Aswat was subsequently extradited to the United States on Oct. 21, 2014.