Ehsanul Sadequee
Encyclopedia
Born in Fairfax, Virginia
on July 30, 1986, Ehsanul "Shifa" Sadequee is an American who was arrested by the FBI on four terrorism charges, convicted, and sentenced to 17 years in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release.
.
In December 2001, while living in Bangladesh, he tried to join the Taliban, to assist them in fighting against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. He and Syed Haris Ahmed began discussing their obligation to support jihad
in late 2004. He become active on several web forums that support jihad, and discussions grew into an active conspiracy with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent jihad.
In March 2005, Sadequee and Ahmed both traveled to Toronto
aboard a Greyhound
bus, to meet with Fahim Ahmad
, Jahmaal James
and another youth, who they had spoken to online about their mutual interpretations about Islam and jihad. While the group discussed hypothetical scenarios in which North America was attacked, the government noted there was "no imminent danger". Police informant Mubin Shaikh
later stated that he believed the two Americans had been asking whether they would be able to hide in Canada if they were to carry out attacks in the United States.
On August 18, 2005, he travelled to his ancestral home of Bangladesh
seeking a wife. At JFK Airport, he agreed to be interviewed by two Joint Terrorism Task Force
agents prior to departing. When questioned about the bus trip, Sadequee lied and said he had traveled alone and stayed with his aunt Manju in the city, rather than with the subject of a Canadian anti-terrorism investigation. Upon searching his luggage, the agents discovered two CD-ROM
s hidden in the lining of his suitcase.
While in Bangladesh, he married a woman two years older than he was, and upon returning to the United States at some point in 2006, she took a job working at Wendy's
.
in June 2006, he was charged with making a false statement for his lie in the airport about the bus trip, and placed under arrest.
In a bail hearing for Sadequee, prosecutors alleged that both men traveled to Washington, D.C.
to make "casing videos" of the United States Capitol
building, the World Bank
, a Masonic temple
and a fuel depot, and that Sadequee had then sent the video to Irhabi007 of London who in 2007 was found guilty of incitement to commit acts of terrorism and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
on July 30, 1986, Ehsanul "Shifa" Sadequee is an American who was arrested by the FBI on four terrorism charges, convicted, and sentenced to 17 years in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release.
Life
Sadequee lived with his mother, brother, and sister at the family home in Roswell, GeorgiaRoswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
.
In December 2001, while living in Bangladesh, he tried to join the Taliban, to assist them in fighting against U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. He and Syed Haris Ahmed began discussing their obligation to support jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
in late 2004. He become active on several web forums that support jihad, and discussions grew into an active conspiracy with others to provide material support to terrorists engaged in violent jihad.
In March 2005, Sadequee and Ahmed both traveled to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
aboard a Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
bus, to meet with Fahim Ahmad
Fahim Ahmad
Fahim Ahmad is one of people convicted in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case. He was a ringleader in the group. He was 21 years old at the time of arrest, and married with two children.-Life:...
, Jahmaal James
Jahmaal James
Jahmaal James is one of 17 people detained on June 2 and June 3, 2006, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the 2006 Toronto terrorism arrests. He and the others arrested are alleged to have plotted coordinated bombing attacks against targets in southern Ontario....
and another youth, who they had spoken to online about their mutual interpretations about Islam and jihad. While the group discussed hypothetical scenarios in which North America was attacked, the government noted there was "no imminent danger". Police informant Mubin Shaikh
Mubin Shaikh
Mubin Shaikh was one of two informants for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in the 2006 Toronto Terrorism case, and moved on to become a paid Royal Canadian Mounted Police agent...
later stated that he believed the two Americans had been asking whether they would be able to hide in Canada if they were to carry out attacks in the United States.
On August 18, 2005, he travelled to his ancestral home of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
seeking a wife. At JFK Airport, he agreed to be interviewed by two Joint Terrorism Task Force
Joint Terrorism Task Force
A Joint Terrorism Task Force is a partnership between various U.S. law enforcement agencies that is charged with taking action against terrorism, which includes the investigation of crimes such as wire fraud and identity theft...
agents prior to departing. When questioned about the bus trip, Sadequee lied and said he had traveled alone and stayed with his aunt Manju in the city, rather than with the subject of a Canadian anti-terrorism investigation. Upon searching his luggage, the agents discovered two CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
s hidden in the lining of his suitcase.
While in Bangladesh, he married a woman two years older than he was, and upon returning to the United States at some point in 2006, she took a job working at Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
.
Arrest
After the Toronto terror arrests2006 Toronto terrorism case
The 2006 Ontario terrorism case refers to the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006, counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 18 people found to be Al-Qaeda members of an Islamic...
in June 2006, he was charged with making a false statement for his lie in the airport about the bus trip, and placed under arrest.
In a bail hearing for Sadequee, prosecutors alleged that both men traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to make "casing videos" of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
building, the World Bank
World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...
, a Masonic temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
and a fuel depot, and that Sadequee had then sent the video to Irhabi007 of London who in 2007 was found guilty of incitement to commit acts of terrorism and sentenced to 16 years in prison.