Three Indicted for Smuggling Chemical Protective Suits to to Yemen
Why would anyone in Yemen want chemical protection suits? Kind of gives some credibility to Yahya al-Houthi’s statement about the regime using chemical gas in Saadah. The only question is who was buying. And secret defense documents?
Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) — Three naturalized U.S. citizens were indicted by a federal grand jury in California for allegedly acquiring secret U.S. defense information and stolen military equipment and conspiring to send them to Yemen.
The four-count indictment for conspiracy to possess and transmit defense information, attempted unlawful export of defense articles and related charges was handed up Aug. 31 and unsealed today, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said.
The men face five to 10 years in prison and fines of $250,000 to $1 million on each count.
“We will use all appropriate legal means at our disposal to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable those who seek to do us harm, whether they act within or outside our borders,” Scott said in a statement.
Ahmen Ahmed Ali, 56, of Bakersfield, California, allegedly received secret defense documents from a government undercover agent and transmitted them to Yemen by fax or courier between June 2005 and August 2006, according to the indictment.
He allegedly conspired with Mohamed Al-Rahimi, 62, of Bakersfield, to receive stolen government property, and with Ibrahim A. Omer, of Fort Worth, Texas, to ship military items such as body armor and chemical protective suits to Yemen.
Such items cannot be legally exported from the U.S. without permission of the State Department.
Ali was arrested in Bakersfield today and will appear before Magistrate Theresa A. Goldner in Bakersfield on Sept. 8. Omer was taken into custody in Bossier City, Louisiana, and will make his first court appearance the same day in Shreveport, Louisiana. Al- Rahimi remains at large.
Repeated calls to a number for Amen Ali in Bakersfield, provided by directory assistance, were not answered. To contact the reporter on this story: Cary O’Reilly in Washington at caryoreilly@bloomberg.net .
same story from the AP
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – Three men have been indicted today for allegedly dealing secret defense information and stolen military equipment to Yemen.
According to federal officials, Amen Ahmed Ali received secret defense documents from a government undercover agent and then sent them to Yemen by fax and by courier on several occasions since last year.
Ali was arrested at his cigarette shop in Bakersfield today. He was scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Theresa Goldner in Bakersfield tomorrow.
Prosecutors say Ali also planned with another man in Fort Worth, Texas, to send stolen body armor and chemical protective suits to Yemen, which is illegal without authorization from the U-S Department of State.
Ibrahim Omer, of Fort Worth, Texas, was taken into custody in Bossier City, Louisiana and was scheduled to appear in a Louisiana court tomorrow.
Mohamed Al-Rahimi, of Bakersfield, was indicted for traveling to Yemen to broker the sale of the military equipment. He remains at large.
