Chicago taxi driver accused of terrorism gets plea deal
By Ellen Cannon
Raja Lahrasib Khan, a 57 year old Pakistani born Chicago taxi driver, waved his right to a trial today in federal court, by cutting a plea deal. A thirty-five page complaint affidavit alleged Khan spoke on March 11, 2010 about the possibility of planting bags of bombs around an unspecified “big stadium” then setting them off remotely. He was charged with two counts of attempting to provide material aid to a foreign terrorist organization by sending cash to Pakistani based terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri to purchase explosives to be utilized in a terror plot. Plea deals are sometimes preferred in terror cases when prosecutors prefer not to reveal the specifics of a terror plot in an effort to avoid “copy-cat” incidents. Khan waved his right to a trial, which could have resulted in a 30 year prison sentence and a fine of $500,000. The plea deal can possibly result in a reduced sentence. ( AP, Michael Tarm,www.news,yahoo.com. 2/6/2010,
At the time of his arrest, March 26, 2010, Chicago law enforcement officials stated there was no imminent domestic danger. However, U.S. Federal Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald stated that although there was no imminent threat, “the charges once again affirm that law enforcement must remain constantly vigilant to guard against domestic support of foreign terrorist organizations.” David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, further stated, “Today’s arrest underscores the domestic and international aspects of the terror threat we face.” (www.fbi.gov)
The arrest was made by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Ongoing investigation of the case was conducted by the Joint Terrorism task Force, the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police, the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
According to the 35 page complaint affidavit, by at least 2008, Khan, who claimed to have known Ilyas Kashmiri for 15 years, learned that Kashmiri was working with al-Qaeda, and that Kashmiri was purportedly receiving orders from al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden. According to Khan, during his meetings with Kashmiri, Khan learned that Kashmiri wanted to train operatives to conduct attacks in the United States; Kashmiri shed Khan a video depicting the detonation of an improvised explosive device; and Kashmiri told Khan that he needed money, in any amount, to be able to purchase materials form the “black market”.
According to court records, Kashmiri is the leader in Kahmir of Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami (HUJI), a Sunni extremist group located in Pakistan and Kashmir with links to al Qaeda. Kashmiri was also linked to the 2010 case involving Tahawwur Rana and David Headley, who were indicted in Chicago for their roles in a conspiracy to murder and maim persons in a planned attack against the facilities and employees of the Danish newspaper, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, in Denmark, as retribution for the publication of cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammed.(Ellen Cannon, “Chicago Terror Trial Ends:Strains on U.S. Pakistan Relations Grow,” Examiner.com (6/10/2011)
The charges against Khan alleged that on November 23, 2009, he sent a money transfer of $950 from a currency exchange on North LaSalle Street in Chicago to Individual A, who was in either Mirpur or Bhimber, in Pakistan. Khan later spoke to “Individual A” by telephone and instructed him to give “Lala” 25,000 rupees ( about $300) of the money he had sent. According to court papers, “Lala” is an Urdo word meaning “older brother” as well as the nickname for Kashmiri, the extremist leader. At this time there was no discussion of the stadium bombing plot. (www.fbi.gov)
A few weeks later, Khan had an interaction with an undercover agent in which additional money was provided to be sent to Kashmiri to buy explosives. Khan is alleged to have shared critical information about his interactions with Kashmiri with the undercover agent providing the evidence for material support of terrorism.
Mr. Kahn was expected to plead guilty today in federal court. Instead, he accepted a plea deal arranged by his lawyer, Thomas Durkin. Mr. Durkin did not discuss the details of the plea agreement.
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