Helping the Taliban
The week's news at a glance.
Seattle
A Seattle man, James Ujaama, pleaded guilty this week to aiding the Taliban while they were sheltering Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Ujaama, a Muslim convert, admitted conspiring to send the Taliban money and computers. Under a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious charge—that Ujaama plotted to help open a terrorist training camp in Oregon. Ujaama promised to cooperate in other investigations. Prosecutors believe he can help build a case against Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical London cleric believed to be al Qaida’s top terrorist recruiter in Europe. Ujaama ran a Web site for Masri, who has openly supported bin Laden and praised the Sept. 11 attacks. “In retrospect,” Ujaama said, “I did do some incredibly dumb things.”
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