Sahim Alwan
Encyclopedia
Sahim Alwan is a Yemeni-American who grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York
. In 2002, he was arrested and charged as part of the War on Terror
together with the other members of the "Lackawanna Six", based on the fact the group of friends had attended an Afghan training camp
together years earlier.
at the local community college
. During the Gulf War
, he and a group of friends were assaulted for their ethnicity outside a Lackawanna restaurant.
In the late 1990s, while working for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
, he cooperated with the FBI to help investigate a fraud case, and asked them about the possibility of working for them as a career.
A "local success story", he maintained a stable marriage, had three children, and worked with the Iroquois Job Corps Center to help employ indigent and troubled youth.
At al-Farooq, he was the first to announce he wanted to leave and return home. He met personally with Osama bin Laden
, who wanted to convince him to stay and finish his training, but ultimately made it clear that he was discouraged by the fact they were training for offensive wars and wars against fellow Muslims, rather than in defence of Muslim populations.
Immediately following the September 11th attacks, he was interviewed as a man on the street by the Buffalo News as he left his mosque, to give his opinion on the attacks. He responded that Islam guaranteed hellfire to anyone who took part in a suicide mission. He phoned agent Ed Needham at the FBI that night, to promise his full cooperation in the Muslim community if the FBI needed help.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. In 2002, he was arrested and charged as part of the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
together with the other members of the "Lackawanna Six", based on the fact the group of friends had attended an Afghan training camp
Afghan training camp
An Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
together years earlier.
Life
Described as the "clean-cut" son of a steelworker, Alwan was noted for always wearing a shirt and tie, every day of his adult life, and studied criminal justiceCriminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
at the local community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
. 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...
, he and a group of friends were assaulted for their ethnicity outside a Lackawanna restaurant.
In the late 1990s, while working for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...
, he cooperated with the FBI to help investigate a fraud case, and asked them about the possibility of working for them as a career.
A "local success story", he maintained a stable marriage, had three children, and worked with the Iroquois Job Corps Center to help employ indigent and troubled youth.
At al-Farooq, he was the first to announce he wanted to leave and return home. He met personally with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, who wanted to convince him to stay and finish his training, but ultimately made it clear that he was discouraged by the fact they were training for offensive wars and wars against fellow Muslims, rather than in defence of Muslim populations.
Immediately following the September 11th attacks, he was interviewed as a man on the street by the Buffalo News as he left his mosque, to give his opinion on the attacks. He responded that Islam guaranteed hellfire to anyone who took part in a suicide mission. He phoned agent Ed Needham at the FBI that night, to promise his full cooperation in the Muslim community if the FBI needed help.