Brooklyn 'Computer Wiz' Accused of Conspiring With Al Qaeda Affiliate in Yemen
A New York-born man described by a law-enforcement official as a computer expert is at the center of the latest investigation into Americans who have tried and, in some but not all cases, succeeded in hooking up with Al Qaeda elements based overseas. Wesam el-Hanafi, a 34-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., native, is one of two men indicted by Federal authorities in Manhattan on Friday on charges of conspiring to provide material support, including computer expertise, to Al Qaeda—more specifically to Yemen-based elements of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a spinoff of the now Pakistan-based terror network founded by Osama bin Laden.
A law-enforcement official familiar with the investigation, who asked for anonymity when discussing an ongoing case, says investigators viewed el-Hanafi as a "computer wiz" who connected with two significant, but as yet unidentified Al Qaeda operatives during a trip to Yemen in February 2008. The feds say that on that trip, el-Hanafi swore allegiance to Al Qaeda. Subsequently, according to the law enforcement official, he essentially became an I.T. consultant for the terror group, traveling back and forth multiple times between Yemen and Brooklyn and buying computer software and materials for Al Qaeda. Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement that el-Hanafi and a co-defendant, Sabirhan Hasanoff, "conspired to modernize al Qaeda by providing computer systems expertise and other goods and services." Among the goods that the indictment also says el-Hanafi purchased online as part of the conspiracy are seven Casio digital watches. The indictment doesn't say why he allegedly bought the watches, but U.S. investigators have said in the past that Al Qaeda has used Casio watches in bombs.
Much of the rest of the information released by the feds about the case, including the indictment, is sketchy, particularly regarding how investigators got onto the case. The indictment says the conspiracy began in November 2007, when Hasanoff, a 34-year-old dual Australian and American citizen who also lived in Britain, received $50,000 from a person identified only as unindicted co-conspirator number one ("CC-1"). Over the next 18 months, the indictment alleges that el-Hanafi and Hasanoff had numerous contacts with CC-1, asking the alleged co-conspirator, among other things, to pledge allegiance to Al Qaeda, to perform unspecified tasks for Al Qaeda, and to keep his or her passport clean of stamps because it would be more useful to Al Qaeda. Included in the press release on the case was a statement by New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly describing the indictment as "the result of the hard work and professionalism of the Federal prosecutors, FBI agents, and the NYPD detectives involved." This sparked some speculation that CC-1 might be an undercover source or operative who originated with the New York cops, though an NYPD spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CBS News reported that el-Hanafi and Hasanoff appeared on Friday in federal court in Virginia and waived their right to a hearing there, facilitating their transfer to federal authorities in New York. The circumstances in which they were taken into custody also remain unclear: a person familiar with the case says that they only arrived in the U.S. from overseas on Friday; details of where they came from and how and why they arrived back stateside were not immediately available.
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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.
Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.
Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."
Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.
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