Portland Seven
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The Portland Seven was a group of American
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
from the
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
area
arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...
ed in October 2002 as part of an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
operation attempting to close down a
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
cell. The seven were attempting to join
al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
forces in their fight against the United States military and coalition forces in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, or aiding in that attempt. Originally referred to as "The Portland Six", Patrice Lumumba Ford, Jeffrey Leon Battle, October Martinique Lewis (Battle's ex-wife), Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, and Habis Abdulla al Saoub made up the original six members arrested in October 2002. In April 2003, Maher "Mike" Hawash was arrested, and the name became "The Portland Seven". The members of the Portland Seven "were all named in the 15-count superseding indictment that included charges of conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, conspiracy to contribute services to
al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
and the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
, conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and money laundering."


Background

On September 29, 2001, Battle, Ford and al Saoub were discovered while engaged in shooting practice in a gravel pit in Skamania County,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, near Washougal. Also present was Ali Khalid Steitiye, who did not become an indicted member of the Portland Seven on terrorism charges but was separately charged with other crimes. The group was discovered by Deputy Sheriff Mark Mercer, who was acting on a tip from a neighbor who had heard gunfire in the pit. Deputy Mercer let the men go after taking their names and reported the incident to the FBI. Battle was taped in a secretly-recorded conversation indicating that they had considered killing Deputy Mercer when confronted: "We was up there blowin it up.... We was lightin' it up... looked at it as worship because what our intentions were, to learn to shoot for. And a cop came up and he was like hey... you don't understand how close he was gonna get popped... yeah, we was gonna pop him." Battle later indicated they had opted not to kill the officer because he seemed "cool." Battle, Ford, and al Saoub went on to become the core of the "Portland Seven." According to the indictment, on October 17, 2001, Battle and al Saoub flew out of Portland International Airport en route to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. On October 20, 2001, Ford and the two Bilals also took the same route out of the United States. Between October 2001 and January 2002, Lewis wired a series of money orders to Battle in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, and in November 2001 and January 2002, Ford wired money to al Saoub in China. Ford returned to the US on or about November 19, 2001. M. Bilal returned to the U.S. on or about December 24, 2001. In January 2002,Battle was administratively discharged from the military. Battle also returned to the US on or about February 5, 2002. The six male members of the group traveled to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
in early 2002, with the intent of entering Afghanistan to aid the Taliban. Lacking visas and other documentation, they were turned back, and all but al Saoub then returned again to the United States. On Thursday, October 3, 2002, a federal grand jury in
United States District Court for the District of Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union. ...
, at Portland, Oregon, indicted Battle, Ford, the two Bilals, al Saoub and Lewis. On October 4, 2002, and the FBI in Portland, Oregon, announced the arrest of four of those original six on charges of aiding and, in some cases, trying to join al-Qaeda fighters. Battle, Ford, and Lewis were all arrested that morning in Portland. Muhammad Bilal was arrested at the same time by the FBI in
Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...
. The remaining two, Ahmed Bilal and al Saoub, were both considered fugitives. Steitiye was also named by the FBI as an unindicted co-conspirator. Ali Khalid Steitiye was convicted in 2002 on firearms, fraud, and immigration charges and testified against the others in 2004, as part of a plea agreement in a weapons-possession charge.


Fate of members

Habis al Saoub joined an al Qaeda cell and was killed by
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
i forces in October 2003. Ford and Battle are each serving 19-year sentences. Lewis was sentenced to three years in prison. Muhammad Bilal received an eight-year sentence, and Ahmed Bilal got ten years. Hawash was sentenced to seven years and left prison in early 2009. A 2011
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
report claimed that some of the people associated with the group were imprisoned in a highly-restrictive Communication Management Unit.


See also

* D.C. Five


References

DATA & GRAPHICS: Population Of The Communications Management Units
Margot Williams and Alyson Hurt,
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, 3-3-11, retrieved 2011 03 04 from npr.org


External links


Picture of six members, minus Hawash
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portland Seven Converts to Islam Quantified groups of defendants Islamist groups Islamic terrorism in the United States 2002 in Portland, Oregon