Prints link suspect to Al Qaeda bomb, court hears
Al Farekh had ‘risen through the ranks of the terrorist organisation’
An American citizen rose through the ranks of Al Qaeda to become head of its external operations wing, responsible for planning attacks on the West, according to the testimony of a captured terrorist.
Muhanad Al Farekh, 31, who was born in Houston and raised in Dubai, was detained by security forces in Pakistan in 2014.
He is now on trial in New York, where he has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder American nationals, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and a string of other crimes.
In a video shown to the jury, a former Al Qaeda operative, held at an undisclosed location in the Middle East, said a man named Abdullah Al Shami – which prosecutors allege is a pseudonym for Al Farekh – took over as head of external operations when Abdul Hafeez Al Somali died in an air strike.
In the testimony, Sufwan Murad, 39, described how he travelled to a tribal area in Pakistan to join Al Qaeda in 2007.
He eventually took on a role with the organisation’s family wing, helping to distribute cash to members with dependents. Among them was Abdul Hafeez, head of external operations.
Richard Tucker, for the prosecution, asked: “Based on your knowledge, where did that external operations section fall within the larger organisation of Al Qaeda?”
Mr Murad replied: “It was part of the military wing.”
Mr Tucker asked: “What was the mission of the external operations group?”
“External operations primarily targeted the West, America, Germany, and Europe, and the West in general,” Mr Murad said.
When Hafeez, also known as Saleh Al Somali, died in an air strike, it was Al Shami who took over the role, Mr Murad said.
He was shown a photograph of the defendant, whom he then identified as Al Shami.
Most of the charges against Al Farekh relate to an attack on an American military facility in Afghanistan.
On January 19, 2009, two vehicles laden with explosives were driven by suicide bombers to Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province. Only the first bomb exploded, injuring several Afghans, including a pregnant woman. The second vehicle became stuck in the crater of the first. The driver was shot dead as he fled without detonating his cargo.
The prosecution has presented evidence that Al Farekh’s fingerprints were found on tape used to construct the second bomb.
Reports in 2014 suggest his alleged role in Al Qaeda’s external operations wing had brought him to the attention of senior US military figures, who asked for him to be added to a kill list, according to The New York Times.
The department of justice urged caution, questioning whether he was a big enough player for the US government to justify assassinating an American overseas without trial.
Prosecutors allege that Al Farekh was radicalised while attending university in Manitoba, Canada.
He left for Pakistan with two co-conspirators in 2007, according to their case.
He arrived in New York to face charges in 2015.
His lawyers said the government case is based on testimony of captured Al Qaeda operatives who should not be trusted.
This week, the jury heard evidence from letters allegedly written by Al Farekh in which he discussed living in Pakistan’s tribal areas under constant threat from drones and how he wanted to travel to Syria to join the fighting there.
The letters were recovered from an electronic storage device found in Afghanistan.
A prosecution handwriting expert said the pen strokes matched those of the defendant.
In the letters, he describes life in North Waziristan and his difficulties communicating with the outside world.
His letters were peppered with complaints about not being able to go to the market and requests for recommendations of TV documentaries.
“I haven’t left my house in over six months and don’t feel safe to,” he wrote.
Court heard testimony from an Al Qaeda figure who identified Al Farekh as an operations chief