Taos compound trial: Witness rejects notion of ‘mission preparation’ training
A witness for four people on trial in a federal terrorism and kidnapping case in Albuquerque attempted Friday to counter the argument of federal prosecutors that the group was preparing for violent attacks on government agencies and officials from a remote compound in Taos County.
The ramshackle compound itself offered a flimsy defense against attack and the 11 firearms and 500 to 600 rounds of ammunition found at the site can be purchased at retail gun stores, Joost Janssen, a military tactics expert, told jurors.
The compound was “very poorly built” and would offer little protection from law enforcement, he said.
“It’s a very poor location if you want to stay hidden and you want to hide your activities,” he testified in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. “It can be accessed from every location.”
The compound was raided in August 2018 by law enforcement officers searching for 3-year-old Abdul Ghani, who was reported missing eight months earlier by the boy’s mother in Georgia.
Authorities found five adults and 11 children at the compound. Abdul Ghani’s decomposed remains were found in a 100-foot tunnel at the site.
Janssen also said he found no evidence the group had targeted individuals or buildings or had placed any sites under surveillance for possible attacks.
Attorneys for the four defendants began presenting their case Friday following two weeks of testimony offered by prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice. Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson is presiding.
Prosecutors allege the group kidnapped and transported Abdul Ghani to New Mexico, motivated by a belief he would be resurrected as “Isa,” a messiah who would lead an army against “corrupt institutions,” including government and law enforcement targets.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 45, his sisters Hujrah Wahhaj, 42, Subhanah Wahhaj, 30, and Subhanah’s husband, Lucas Morton, 45, all were indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2019 on charges including providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to murder an officer or employee of the United States.
Hujrah and Subhanah Wahhaj, and Morton, also were charged with kidnapping resulting in the death of Abdul Ghani. The boy’s father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, was not charged with kidnapping because federal law prohibits a parent from being so charged.
A fifth co-defendant, Jany Laveille, a 40-year-old Haitian national, pleaded guilty in February to a federal firearms charge and conspiracy charge and faces 15 years in prison.
Janssen’s testimony contradicted that of Randy Watt, a military expert, who told jurors earlier last week that more than 90 videos recovered at the compound show tactical training “offensive in nature” that he described as “mission preparation” by two men and two juvenile boys at the site.
Janssen said the tactics in the training videos “can’t be identified as offensive or defensive” and are standard techniques used by civilian security personnel. Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, who is representing himself, told jurors in opening statements that he works in the security field and plans to start his own business.
“The purpose of the training seemed consistent with executive protection,” Janssen told jurors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tavo Hall told Janssen that earlier witnesses said the compound was surrounded by berms made of earth and tires and topped with broken glass. Hall asked if the glass shards could endanger children living at the complex.
“I’m sure there are lots of hazards in this type of environment for children,” Janssen responded.