Pakistani-born US Citizen Goes on Trial for Terrorism

May 31, 2009 – Home grown terrorists are not confined to the hills of Pakistan, within the Taliban or in al-Qaeda camps as proven when US naturalized citizen and former Georgia Tech student Sayed Haris Ahmed goes on trial Monday in Atlanta for conspiracy to provide support for acts of terrorism in the US and abroad.

The trial is the first of its kind in the area and Ahmed, 24, has been confined to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for three years awaiting his trial date. He opted for a bench trial meaning a judge will decide his fate instead of a jury and he is reported to have chosen this method so he can deliver the message of Islam during closing arguments.

The case against Ahmed was part of an overall investigation that spanned three countries and two continents.

Ahmed was found to have traveled to Ontario, Canada to meet with a terrorist group called the “Toronto 18” who had aspirations to overthrow the Canadian Parliament.

The relationships developed online and resulted in Ahmed creating “casing videos” of government and commercial buildings. He was identified as a co-conspirator after several men were arrested in Toronto on charges of terrorism. The group, along with Ahmed, was accused of sharing videos and information with terrorists or terrorist organizations to aid in the planning of attacks.

The investigation revealed information was shared with Younes Tsouli, a Moroccan born British resident, referred to as "the world's most wanted cyber-jihadist" who is currently serving a 16 year prison sentence for collaborating on acts of terrorism. Part of the investigation also discovered a desire by Ahmed to become a jihadist and join Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Tayyiba also known as the Army of the Righteous.

Some claim Ahmed is a naïve terrorist “wanna-be" who was merely a small pawn used as a link to gather information from within the US borders. No matter what his real goal or beliefs are, he is now facing up to 15 years in prison for his acts and associations. He has also brought scrutiny and attention to his family, including his father who teaches computer science at North Georgia College and Georgia State University.

For more information on Ahmed's upcoming trial, click here to read a story filed with the Atlanta Journal Constitution.