Mohammed Junaid Babar
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Junaid Babar is a Pakistani American
who, after pleading guilty to terrorist related offences in New York, testified in March 2006 against a group of men accused of plotting 21 July 2005 London bombings
. In return for being a government supergrass
his sentence was drastically reduced to time served and he was released leading to widespread criticism in Britain.
with his family when he was two years old and grew up in Queens, New York. He attended a Military Academy, an all boy military boarding school on Long Island
. He studied pharmacy
at St. John's University in New York
but dropped out. He adopted radical views of Islam
during the Gulf War
when he was employed in a number of unskilled jobs including valet
parking. He joined various groups including the al-Muhajiroun
Mohammed Babar's mother worked in the World Trade Center
on the 9th floor and survived the Terrorist Attacks on September 11th
. Within one week of the attack, he decided to move to Pakistan
and fight against the planned United States led invasion
in Afghanistan
. He supplied materials such as Night vision goggles
, sleeping bags, waterproof socks and ponchos and money to high-ranking al-Qaeda
officials in South Waziristan
. In the summer of 2003 he helped to set up a terrorist training camp where Mohammad Sidique Khan
, the leader of the 2005 London suicide bombers, and several other British terrorists learned how to manufacture explosives.
in April 2004 after his return from Pakistan
, and on June 2, 2004, pleaded guilty to five counts of providing, and conspiring to provide, money and supplies to Al Qaeda terrorists fighting in Afghanistan against U.S., international forces, or the Northern Alliance. Facing up to 70 years in prison in U.S. he agreed to cooperate with authorities.
. He has been flown to London to give evidence in the case, and arrived at court amid heavy security, driven from a police station in an armoured convoy with a helicopter overhead. He had been given immunity from prosecution in relation to the charges the British defendants faced.
During his testimony he claimed to have been part of two separate attempts to kill General Pervez Musharraf in 2002 and admitted that he would be facing the death penalty in Pakistan if he was not working for the FBI. He also said that he had associated with Abu Hamza al-Masri
and Omar Bakri Mohammed.
The prosecution claimed that Babar was part of the plot and had "an insight as an insider into the events and plans, which an outsider could not have." The counsel for the defence called Babar "a liar, nothing more than a conceited fantasist."
He also told a British court during 17 days of testimony in 2007 that he ran training camps in Pakistan for Islamic militants and nurtured a generation of homegrown British terrorists. Babar is still working with the British under a deal that he will not be charged as long as he cooperates.
, in Ottawa, Canada. Khawaja was accused of being involved with several terrorist plots, including the London nightclub incident. In light of Babar's attendance, security at the national capital courthouse was extremely tight, with bomb sniffing dogs, and metal detectors outside the building's premises.
, he was released on bail in 2008. On 10 December 2010 his sentence was set to "time served". The reason given for his release was that he had agreed to cooperate fully with any investigation or prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to the judge who set his sentence "Mr. Babar began cooperating even before his arrest." His early release raised suspicions among lawyers that Babar may have been an informant for the US government before his arrest in April 2004. This decision was widely criticized in Britain. In return for being a government supergrass
his sentence was drastically reduced to time served and he was released.
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
who, after pleading guilty to terrorist related offences in New York, testified in March 2006 against a group of men accused of plotting 21 July 2005 London bombings
21 July 2005 London bombings
On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Shoreditch...
. In return for being a government supergrass
Supergrass (informer)
Supergrass is a slang term for an informer, which originated in London. Informers had been referred to as "grasses" since the late-1930s, and the "super" prefix was coined by journalists in the early 1970s to describe those informers from the city's underworld who testified against former...
his sentence was drastically reduced to time served and he was released leading to widespread criticism in Britain.
Early life
Babar was born in Pakistan. In 1977 Mohammed Babar moved to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his family when he was two years old and grew up in Queens, New York. He attended a Military Academy, an all boy military boarding school on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He studied pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
at St. John's University in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
but dropped out. He adopted radical views of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
when he was employed in a number of unskilled jobs including valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
parking. He joined various groups including the al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
Mohammed Babar's mother worked in the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on the 9th floor and survived the Terrorist Attacks on September 11th
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. Within one week of the attack, he decided to move to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and fight against the planned United States led invasion
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He supplied materials such as Night vision goggles
Night vision goggles
A night vision device is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users...
, sleeping bags, waterproof socks and ponchos and money to high-ranking al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
officials in South Waziristan
South Waziristan
South Waziristan is the southern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . Waziristan comprises the area west and southwest of Peshawar between the Tochi River to the north and the Gomal River to the south, forming...
. In the summer of 2003 he helped to set up a terrorist training camp where Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan was the oldest of the four homegrown suicide bombers and believed to be the leader responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, in which bombs were detonated on three London Underground trains and one bus in central London suicide attacks, killing 52 people excluding the...
, the leader of the 2005 London suicide bombers, and several other British terrorists learned how to manufacture explosives.
Detention in America
He was arrested in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in April 2004 after his return from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and on June 2, 2004, pleaded guilty to five counts of providing, and conspiring to provide, money and supplies to Al Qaeda terrorists fighting in Afghanistan against U.S., international forces, or the Northern Alliance. Facing up to 70 years in prison in U.S. he agreed to cooperate with authorities.
Operation Crevice
Babar was the star witness in the case against seven terrorist suspects arrested in Britain in March 2004 as part of Operation CreviceOperation Crevice
Operation Crevice was a raid launched by Metropolitan and local police in England on the morning of 30 March 2004. It was in response to a report indicating cells of terrorists of Pakistani origin were operating in the Thames Valley, Sussex, Surrey and Bedfordshire areas, the source of which was...
. He has been flown to London to give evidence in the case, and arrived at court amid heavy security, driven from a police station in an armoured convoy with a helicopter overhead. He had been given immunity from prosecution in relation to the charges the British defendants faced.
During his testimony he claimed to have been part of two separate attempts to kill General Pervez Musharraf in 2002 and admitted that he would be facing the death penalty in Pakistan if he was not working for the FBI. He also said that he had associated with Abu Hamza al-Masri
Abu Hamza al-Masri
Abu Hamza al-Masri is an Egyptian Sunni activist known for his preaching of a violent and politicised interpretation of Islam, also known as militant Islamism or jihadism...
and Omar Bakri Mohammed.
The prosecution claimed that Babar was part of the plot and had "an insight as an insider into the events and plans, which an outsider could not have." The counsel for the defence called Babar "a liar, nothing more than a conceited fantasist."
He also told a British court during 17 days of testimony in 2007 that he ran training camps in Pakistan for Islamic militants and nurtured a generation of homegrown British terrorists. Babar is still working with the British under a deal that he will not be charged as long as he cooperates.
Momin Khawaja
In 2008 Mohammed Babar testified in a trial against the accused Momin KhawajaMomin Khawaja
Mohammad Momin Khawaja is a Canadian found guilty of involvement in a plot to plant fertilizer bombs in the United Kingdom; while working as a software engineer under contract to the Foreign Affairs department in 2004 became the first person charged and found guilty under the Canadian...
, in Ottawa, Canada. Khawaja was accused of being involved with several terrorist plots, including the London nightclub incident. In light of Babar's attendance, security at the national capital courthouse was extremely tight, with bomb sniffing dogs, and metal detectors outside the building's premises.
Release
He initially faced up to 70 years in prison. However, after spending four years and eight months in prison, over a year of which in a high security section of MCC New YorkMetropolitan Correctional Center, New York City
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York City is a Federal Bureau of Prisons remand center in downtown Manhattan in New York City, located on Park Row behind the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at Foley Square....
, he was released on bail in 2008. On 10 December 2010 his sentence was set to "time served". The reason given for his release was that he had agreed to cooperate fully with any investigation or prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to the judge who set his sentence "Mr. Babar began cooperating even before his arrest." His early release raised suspicions among lawyers that Babar may have been an informant for the US government before his arrest in April 2004. This decision was widely criticized in Britain. In return for being a government supergrass
Supergrass (informer)
Supergrass is a slang term for an informer, which originated in London. Informers had been referred to as "grasses" since the late-1930s, and the "super" prefix was coined by journalists in the early 1970s to describe those informers from the city's underworld who testified against former...
his sentence was drastically reduced to time served and he was released.