Fuqra & Operational Security

Former head of counterterrorism in India, B. Raman, writes prolifically these days about jihadi organizations, their inner workings, and the threats they pose to civilization. He is particularly well-versed in the organizations that have been bred in Pakistan. Jamaat ul-Fuqra is one of the organizations with which he is quite familiar and has written many times about.

In one of his latest pieces, "The Jundullah", he describes the growing trend of freelance jihadis who are operating independently and also discusses the threat many western countries now fear from "homegrown terrorism". He begins his article thus (emphasis mine):

This is my second article analysing the British fertiliser bomb case in which the judgement was delivered by a British court on April 30,2007. In my earlier article, I had referred to the extensive roots taken by the Pakistanised version of Al Qaeda in the UK and the danger of this spreading to the US and Canada.

From this, one should not jump to the conclusion that the US is not yet facing threats from home-grown jihadis of Pakistani origin in its territory. It has been since the 1980s. The very active US and Canada-based cadres of the Jamaat-ul-Fuqra (JUF), a Pakistani jihadi organisation with headquarters in Lahore, were the first generation of home-grown jihadis in the US and Canada. They used to indulge in fire-bomb attacks on Hindu and Jewish places of worship in different parts of these two countries in the 1980s. They had also alarmingly penetrated the security forces of some States in the Caribbean. At that time, there was no Al Qaeda or the International Islamic Front (IIF) and yet, the intelligence agencies of these two countries were greatly concerned over the threat posed by this organisation to their internal security. The intelligence officers of the US and Canada, with whom I used to interact, used to describe the JUF as the most secretive and security-conscious jihadi organisation of Pakistan. Daniel Pearl, the US journalist, paid with his life in the beginning of 2002 for trying to make enquiries into the suspected links of Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, with this organisation.

Troubling stuff, to be sure. The Fuqra cell that was broken up in Colorado some years ago was a prime example of this. They operated in strict secrecy. Access to information was tightly controlled, outside contact was forbidden, even with members of other compounds, and orders were handed down directly from the shaykh in Pakistan. Of course, having studied this group for some time now, I realized the "homegrown" threat that they pose. What struck me was Raman's statement that they had a reputation in the intelligence community as "the most secretive and security-conscious jihadi organization of Pakistan". No doubt, their leaders' ties to the ISI contributed to such trained discipline. This sort of statement reiterates to me that they are an organization to be watched and taken seriously.

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Jamaat ul-Fuqra: Homegrown Islamic Radicalism Since 1979

Counterfeit Ring Broken Up

***Exclusive Report***
Criminal Enterprise Has Ties to Muslims of the Americas

Last Wednesday, the FBI arrested eight individuals and raided businesses as part of an investigation into a counterfeiting ring that was involved in the sale of falsely-branded clothing, pirated DVDs and other merchandise. Individuals from Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York were apprehended and businesses in Lynchburg, Richmond, and New York City were searched. Proceeds from the ring originating with a wholesaler in NYC had yielded at least $19 million over the course of the last two years.

According to my sources, at least some of the individuals who were arrested are believed to be members of the Muslims of the Americas, an Islamist organization operating throughout the US and founded by a Pakistani named Sheikh Mubarik Ali Gilani. The organization is made up of mostly religious followers, but serves as a front organization for the activities of a covert militant group known as Jamaat ul-Fuqra. The organization is partly funded via tribute from MOA members. Most members are generally required to send a percentage of their income, which may be gained through legal or, in a number of cases illegal means, to the sheikh in Pakistan. Research indicates the suspected MOA members in this ring may include:

> Ronald Roundtree of Lynchburg who, according to a source, is aka Muhammad Talib and has a history of drug abuse. News reports say he operated a booth outside the Z Market in Lynchburg selling some of the bootlegged items. Authorities searched not only the Z Market, but also Roundtree's home at 11th and Polk Streets in Lynchburg, although research indicates he has been a previous resident at the MOA compound in Red House, VA. An additional address history search links him to several other Virginia locales as well as Williamsport, PA and California, both areas where MOA has previously operated.

> Eric Harmon, owner of the Big EZ store in Richmond who according to a source is possibly aka Abdus-Sabur. His business was also involved in the sale of counterfeit goods and I have been told he may have been involved in illegal drug activity as well.

> Ismail Haqq, of Meherrin, VA. Little additional information was available, but a reverse address search of the location in Meherrin where MOA operates another residential settlement turned up a similar name - Isiah Haqq, which could possibly be a relative or an alias. [UPDATE: An additional search via whitepages.com, thanks to a contact of mine, did match Ismail Haqq to the MOA location in Meherrin. In fact, the address and phone number for Ismail Haqq is the same as Isiah Haqq. The relation is unconfirmed - it could be a relative, though MOA members are often known to use aliases].

> Ishoc Uthman Ibn-Abdus Salaam, of Pamplin, VA. I am told he is the son of an elder MOA member.

> Cherubin Pierre of Richmond, VA. I am unsure of any familial relationship at this point, but it is possible he is a relative of an MOA member of the same last name - Vincent Rafael Pierre. Vincent Pierre was part of a Fuqra cell in Colorado during the '90s and was involved in various white collar criminal schemes. He later joined the MOA community at Red House, VA. He and his wife were arrested for illegally purchasing guns in 2001.

Any further connections or possible associations of the others who were arrested are unclear at this time. Whatever the case, kudos to law enforcement for rounding up these guys. They have obviously put alot of work into this investigation.

I have posted a couple of videos here of the local television coverage surrounding the arrests.



I have also put together a document containing the government's press release, a collection of news coverage, and corporation records for two of the companies involved including pictures of the one in Richmond. Interestingly, in addition, I discovered a record of substantial political contributions made by the suspect that was arrested in NYC, all to the Republican Party, which is also in the document. Lastly, I have included the court schedule for the upcoming week for the US District Court - Eastern District of Virginia during which several of those arrested will be arrained.


It will be interesting to see how this case moves forward.