Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Feds: Chicago men planned to attack Danish paper
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Feds: Chicago men planned to attack Danish paper
By MIKE ROBINSON,AP Legal Affairs Writer -
Wednesday, October 28
Send
IM Story
Print
CHICAGO – Two Chicago men who were schoolmates in Pakistan plotted terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper that triggered widespread protests by printing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in announcing charges against the men.
David Coleman Headley, 49, traveled to Denmark in January and July to conduct surveillance on possible targets, including the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, prosecutors said in criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, helped arrange Headley's travel, prosecutors said.
Danish authorities said there could be more arrests.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Headley visited the newspaper's Copenhagen offices in January and told employees he represented Rana's business, First World Immigration Services, and that the business was considering opening offices in Denmark and might buy advertising.
While in Denmark, Headley asked Rana to watch for a follow-up e-mail from an advertising representative from the paper and to ask First World's Toronto and New York offices to "remember" him in case the newspaper called, prosecutors said. They said Rana corresponded with a newspaper representative and posed as Headley.
Prosecutors said Headley told FBI agents after his Oct. 3 arrest at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that the initial plan called for attacks on the newspaper's offices, but that he later proposed just killing the paper's former cultural editor and the cartoonist behind the drawings, which triggered outrage throughout the Muslim world. He described his plans to contacts in Pakistan as "the Mickey Mouse project," according to the FBI.
The newspaper published twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. One cartoon showed Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban. Any depiction of the prophet, even a favorable one, is forbidden by Islamic law as likely to lead to idolatry.
Headley, a U.S. citizen who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006, is charged with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder and maiming outside the United States. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. He was arrested as he boarded a flight to Philadelphia, the first leg of a trip to Pakistan.
Headley and Rana are each charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorism conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Rana, who is a Canadian citizen, was arrested Oct. 18 in his home.
Headley's attorney, John Theis, said he would have no comment. Rana's attorney, Patrick Blegen, said that his client "is a well respected businessman in the Chicagoland community."
"He adamantly denies the charges and eagerly awaits his opportunity to contest them in court and to clear his and his family's name," Blegen said. "We would ask that the community respect the fact that these are merely allegations and not proof."
Nobody answered a knock at the door at Rana's home on Tuesday. A phone listing for Headley could not be found.
Residents of Rana's North Side neighborhood, which is home to a large South Asian community and where Rana reportedly ran a grocery store and an immigration services office, reacted to news of his arrest with shock.
"He's a really nice guy," said Jalal Tariq, a 23-year-old waiter who said Rana was helping him with an immigration case.
Rana was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan for a bond hearing at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Headley's bond hearing is set for Dec. 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys. Both men were in custody.
Jakob Scharf, the head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, or PET, called the alleged plot "serious" but said investigators didn't believe an attack was imminent. He said the alleged plotters considered various options, including using handguns and explosives, and that investigators seized footage of sites around Denmark ranging from the newspaper's offices to Copenhagen's main train station.
"We cannot exclude that there could be more arrests" in Denmark or other countries, Scharf said at a Tuesday news conference.
U.S. prosecutors said Headley was carrying a data stick in his luggage that contained surveillance video footage of sites in Denmark. They said Headley reported and attempted to report on his efforts to individuals with ties to terrorism overseas, including at least one with links to al-Qaida.
Headley and Rana attended school together in Pakistan, the FBI said in court papers. Headley posted a message on an Internet discussion site in October 2008 saying he resented the Danish cartoons and adding: "I feel disposed toward violence for the offending parties."
According to prosecutors, Headley told FBI agents after his arrest that he received training from a terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, starting in 2006. Headley told agents he had worked with Ilyas Kashmiri, a Pakistani based terrorist with al-Qaida links, and that Kashmiri helped plan an attack in Denmark, prosecutors said.
He said he had surveilled the paper's offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus "in preparation for an attack to be carried out by persons associated with Kashmiri and Individual A," prosecutors said. They did not identify Individual A.
Headley told agents he "proposed that the operation against the newspaper be reduced from attacking the entire building in Copenhagen to killing the paper's cultural editor, Flemming Rose, and the cartoonist who drew the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, Kurt Westergaard, whom Headley felt was directly responsible for the cartoons."
Headley also told agents that he conducted surveillance of Danish troops posted near the newspaper, believing they might be a quick reaction force in the event of an attack. He also said he surveilled a Copenhagen synagogue in the mistaken belief of one of his contacts that Rose was Jewish."
Westergaard, 78, said in a posting on the Jyllands-Posten Web site that he trusts the Danish security services to keep him safe, but that "it is scary to be threatened."
"I am an old man so I am not so afraid anymore," he said.
U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the public should be assured that there was no imminent danger in the Chicago area."
"However, law enforcement has a duty to be vigilant to guard against not just those who would carry out attacks here on our soil but those who plot on our soil to help carry out violent attacks overseas," Fitzgerald said.
___
Associated Press Writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Pakistan, Afghan attacks kill 101 as Clinton visits AFP - 2 hours 34 minutes ago
Iran to deliver response on uranium deal: report AFP - Thursday, October 29
ArcelorMittal bounces back on demand gain AFP - Thursday, October 29
US eyes 'compromise' strategy in Afghanistan: report AFP - Thursday, October 29
Mozambique votes in fourth democratic elections AFP - Thursday, October 29
News Search
Top Stories
US new home sales in surprise fall
US durable goods orders rebound in September
ArcelorMittal bounces back on demand gain
Japan's Nomura reaps rewards of Lehman deal
EU to back split of UK's Northern Rock: reports
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
US consumer confidence takes recession beating
Obama unveils historic power grid reform
NASA hopes weather will allow new rocket liftoff
US financial sector will pay for failures: bill
France's Sarkozy announces 1.65-billion-euro farm aid plan
More Most Viewed »
Boyzone singer Gately dies in Spain
Mobile phone giant Nokia sues Apple over patents
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 28 October 2009 Bosnian Serb ex-leader Plavsic in Belgrade after prison release
S.Africa, Lesotho among top 10 in gender equality
Czech court delays verdict on Lisbon Treaty
Cisco to buy ScanSafe for $183 million
Iran wants big changes to nuclear deal with powers
Eurozone lending contracts for the first time: ECB
Scientologists convicted of fraud in France
Rocket from Lebanon hits Israel; Israel fires back
| International
|
Mobile web usage surge raises hopes of gear demand
Abbas says might not run in poll
US consumer confidence tanks
Top Czech court opens Lisbon treaty session
Second delay for Ares rocket test launch: NASA
Honda profit halves, outlook brighter
Israel's Barak faces party revolt over peace deadlock
| International
|
U.S. lobbyist accused of violating Sudan sanctions
| International
|
UN to text message food vouchers to Iraqi refugees
Japanese destroyer collides with South Korean ship
Pakistan kills 42 militants in anti-Taliban push
October new deadliest month for US in Afghanistan
Police: RI motorist drove with man in windshield
DC sniper Muhammad set to die by lethal injection
US consumer confidence tanks
Japanese, S.Korean ships 'collide in Japan'
ACORN, former official due in court in Nevada case
China to hunt remains at 1950 US bomber crash site
Obama putting $3.4B toward a 'smart' power grid
Bad weather delays NASA new rocket test flight
WHO recommends swine flu vaccine for wary Chinese
NY AG: Consumers can access health care cost info
Fla. sex offender-teacher seeks probation change
Innovation Conference To Highlight Latest Healthcare Technology Trends
Bats reintroduced into Vermont caves hit by fungus
Thais protest outside Cambodia embassy over invite
Jurors get Pontiac, Mich., homeless killing case
Northwest Pilots On Laptop When They Overshot Airport, May Lose Licenses
Mayors ask Obama to visit Japanese A-bomb cities
Rep. Grayson Again Grabs Headlines With 'K Street Whore' Comment
Gang Rape Arrest Continues, Victim Remains Hospitalized
Eight U.S. Troops Die In Afghan Blasts; October Now The Deadliest Month In War
Pakistan says 42 killed in anti-Taliban offensive
About-turn as South Korean defects to communist North
Vegas Judge Sentences Teen Shooter To Life
U.S. investigating optical disc drive industry
| Technology
|
Update: NASA Scrubs Launch Of Ares I-X
Principal's Secretary Charged With Child Abuse After Duct-Taping Student
Security Checks At MARC Train Stations Start This Week
World's Largest Rocket Ares I-X To Launch On Tuesday
Val Kilmer to play journalist in Georgia war film
Select 2009 Hollywood Awards winners
Nissan unveils new platform of cheap, light cars
Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi face US antitrust probe
Tibet's Lhasa Beer to boost US exports
India keeps rates unchanged, warns of inflation
India's Jet Airways reports loss, shares plummet
China invests $500 mln in SouthGobi Energy
Naomi Campbell sued over cosmetics sales
| Entertainment
|
Ricky Gervais says Golden Globes is perfect gig
| Entertainment
|
About-turn as South Korean defects to communist North
Indonesia is not a refugee 'dumping ground': governor
Indonesia district bans tight trousers for women
Hollywood burglars driven by celebrity worship
| Entertainment
|
India's Tata Steel profit down 49.5%
Forget recession, let's throw a Mad Men party
| Entertainment
|
Proceeds of Saint Laurent sale to battle AIDS
Hearings adjourned on Emirati bid for Christian Lacroix
France fines black comic for anti-Semitism
World's biggest cruise ship offers activity extravaganza
Jackson film 'This Is It' set for global premiere
'Da Vinci Code' publisher changes jobs
'I would not make it big today': model Crawford
Once again, 'Ratchet & Clank' has the right stuff
'Survivor' champ says he's victim of 'witch hunt'
Parents fear for missing Metallica fan daughter
Taliban kill three UN workers in Kabul shootout
France jails 'Angolagate' power players
Facebook challenges financial regulators: FINRA
Four U.N. staff killed in Kabul; blasts rock hotel
| International
|
Doubts mount over Afghan run-off
Czech court delays Lisbon verdict till after EU summit
Launch of new NASA rocket delayed
U.S. sends top team to Honduras
| International
|
Woman arrested for offering sex for World Series tickets
France's Sarkozy announces 1.65-billion-euro farm aid plan
Bosnian Serb ex-leader Plavsic in Belgrade after prison release
Gizmodo duped by virus ad, apologizes
Afghan police in stand-off with 'terrorists': police
Obama unveils historic power grid reform
Examiner.com expanding into Canada
Google marches deeper into telecom turf
Obama draws to end of Afghan review: White House
Dead not forgotten at Facebook
China sets up website to recover trafficked children: report
Afghan leader's brother on CIA payroll: report
UN to text message food vouchers to Iraqi refugees
Once seen as spies, Taiwan eases China media curbs
| International
|
US drone strikes may break international law: UN
Iran to accept nuclear fuel deal but wants key changes: TV
Somali pirates hijack foreign yacht with two on board
Darfur kidnappers demand 3 million euro ransom
Iran backs uranium plan outline, but seeks changes
US-Israel drill may shape European missile shield
North Korea hereditary succession won't work: defector
| International
|
Google marches deeper into telecom turf
Gunmen wound seven in Athens attack: Greek police
| International
|
In Israel drill, U.S. weighs European shield options
Venezuela says it has captured Colombian spies
| International
|
Digital cinema still a work in progress
| Technology
|
Disney launching iPhone, iPod touch applications
| Technology
|
Facebook challenges financial regulators: FINRA
| Technology
|
Chavez blames medical equipment problems on Philips
| Technology
|
Obama renews Sudan sanctions
US swine flu vaccine outlook improving, CDC says
Mickelson, Harrington fired up for Singapore
Former Memphis mayor is target of federal probe
Census: 'Brain gains' for high-tech cities
Japan to carry out missile shoot-down off Hawaii: US
Senate votes to take up jobless benefit extension
Jetstar engine fire forces evacuation in Australia
Indian president set to meet PM in UK state visit
Chamber to begin ads against health care overhaul
US, China pledge better military ties
Customs agents find hash, pot hidden in chessboard
Japanese hope Obama will visit A-bomb cities soon
Time to end 'on-again-off-again' US-China ties: Pentagon
Deadly days for US troops in Afghanistan
3 bodies found in US plane wreckage in Afghanistan
Man convicted in 2000 shooting executed in Texas
Nordic countries top gender gap index again
eBay: No auction for suspect in Kan. doc's death
S.Korea says to improve FX regulations
Seoul shares down 1.3 pct; shipbuilders, techs fall
Korea Hot Stocks
Hollywood burglars driven by "celebrity worship"
S.Korea T-bonds rise on U.S. lead, shares; data eyed
Seoul shares slip on U.S. fall;earnings,data eyed
S.Korea overseas borrowing soars as govt worried
Tenn. gov says China trip has green energy focus
This Is It shows Jackson could still entertain
| Entertainment
|
Bigger Oscar field means tougher choices
| Entertainment
|
Former Letterman writer cries foul over sexcapades
| Entertainment
|
Michael Jackson set to rule U.S. pop chart
| Entertainment
|
Hulk Hogan returning to pro wrestling
| Entertainment
|
Miley Cyrus' mom safeguards her career
U2 to play free Berlin concert on MTV awards night
| Entertainment
|
U2 to play at landmark to mark fall of Berlin Wall
Jackson's "This is It" movie premieres worldwide
Former Letterman writer cries foul over sexcapades
U2 to play free Berlin concert on MTV awards night
U2 to play free show to mark fall of Berlin Wall
Dogs funnier than cats? Home video show says yes
Model Naomi Campbell sued over fragrance deal
ALCS helps Fox in ratings, but CBS is still ahead
Darkest day for UN as Taliban kill 9 at Kabul hostel
Car bomb kills 90 in Pakistan as Hillary Clinton visits
| International
|
US-TECH Summary
EU to back split of UK's Northern Rock: reports
Six foreigners killed in Kabul attack: Afghan official
Japan's Nomura reaps rewards of Lehman deal
Digital cinema still a work in progress
No Criminal Charge To Be Filed Against Joe Francis For Allegedly Assaulting Jayde Nicole
Iran to respond to atomic deal on Thursday in Vienna
| International
|
Disney launching iPhone, iPod touch applications
US financial sector will pay for failures: bill
Pittsburgh Blood Center Offering Donors "New Moon" Screening Tickets
Time to end 'on-again, off-again' US-China ties: US
Rockets found in south Lebanon, day after attack
| International
|
EU force arrests seven suspected pirates
| International
|
Michael Jackson Earned $90 Million Since He Died
"Girls Gone Wild" Creator Joe Francis Suing Jayde Nicole And Brody Jenner
Merkel formally elected German chancellor for 2nd term
| International
|
Kate Gosselin, Kathy Griffin Among 2009 Women's Conference Attendees
Akon Forced To Stop Melbourne Show After Crowd Brawl Breaks Out
Fate of oil-rich Kirkuk stalls Iraq election law
Relatives of Iran vote detainees hold rally
| International
|
Silvio Berlusconi says communist judges out to destroy him
| International
|
U.N. torture expert turned back by Zimbabwe
| International
|
German trial of former SS member starts in Aachen
| International
|
US ready to respond if Iran falters: Obama adviser
Google drives into navigation market
| Technology
|
Indonesian people-smugglers jailed in Australia
FAA grounds wayward Northwest Airlines pilots
In Apology, Grayson Calls 'K Street Whore' Comment 'Disrespectful'
McDonald's worker dies of 'overwork': officials
Military Pay Raise Becomes Law Wednesday
Motorola's Droid has Google navigation features
| Technology
|
Weather May Scrub NASA's Wednesday Launch Attempt Of Ares 1-X
Japan probes collision between navy, SKorean ships
Health care debate draws Dean, Rove to Penn State
Clinton arrives in Pakistan: AFP reporter
Bill Extending Jobless Benefits Passes Key Vote In Senate
US, NKorean officials join in unofficial talks
American Among 6 United Nations Workers Killled In Afghan Explosion
Feds: Chicago men planned to attack Danish paper
UK threatens Web access block in piracy fight
| Technology
|
SKoreans vote in parliamentary by-elections
Calif. town rattled by alleged rape of girl, 15
First Daughters Receive H1N1 Vaccines
San Francisco's Bay Bridge Remains Closed After Debris Lands In Roadway
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 814
Countries Not Using Roman Alphabet Offered Domain Names In Own Language, Script
Kashmir under heavy security for Indian PM visit
SKorean military under fire over defection
Philippines, Muslim rebels vow to spare civilians
Feces-Throwing Burglar Goes Ape Gets 31-Year Sentence
FAA Revokes License Of Northwest Pilots Over Laptop Use
Toshiba to build new battery plant
ArcelorMittal returns to profit, sees improvement
Fujitsu reports jump in quarterly profits
China poisoning Pearl River Delta: Greenpeace
US, China open high-level trade talks
Seoul shares lose 2.4 pct on techs, shipbuilders
Japan's Nomura posts second straight profit
Taiwan's Ma eyes trade agreement with US: report
Thai Airways accused of price-fixing
HCL Technologies says profit falls on forex loss
Cambodian temple puzzle nearly complete
What crisis? China's billionaires live it up
Indonesia won't let asylum seekers off ship
Bigger Oscar field means tougher choices
Hulk Hogan returning to pro wrestling
Michael Jackson set to rule U.S. pop chart
David Copperfield wins stay in assault lawsuit
Ex-Letterman writer claims hostile environment
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights