SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT FILED IN ATLANTA TERRORISM SUPPORT CASE

New Indictment Adds Second Defendant, Additional Charges, and Detailed Allegations of Material Support of Terrorists and a Foreign Terrorist Organization

ATLANTA - A federal grand jury in Atlanta has returned a superseding indictment charging Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee with conspiring to provide and providing material support to terrorists and to a designated foreign terrorist organization. As compared to the initial indictment filed on March 23, 2006, the superseding indictment adds Sadequee as a defendant and adds three additional counts related to material support of terrorism and a foreign terrorist organization, as well as detailed allegations of the acts underlying the charges.

"The superseding indictment alleges that these defendants supported violent jihad both in the United States and abroad," said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division. "The threat of terrorism remains very real here at home and across the globe. The Department of Justice will do everything it can -- in concert with our domestic and international partners -- to stop terrorists and their supporters, and prosecute them before they can carry out their operations."

"Today's indictment is another important step in this significant terrorism investigation," said U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias of the Northern District of Georgia. "The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a number of specific acts in support of violent jihad. The indictment does not allege that these defendants had proceeded to the point that they posed an imminent threat to the United States. But in today's world we no longer wait until a bomb is built and ready to explode. The fuse that could lead to an explosion may be long, but once it is lit, we will use criminal prosecution -- and any other tool that the law provides -- to put it out. According to today's indictment, these two defendants had lit such a fuse, and this prosecution is the result. The charges in this case involve national security issues and will be prosecuted carefully with that in mind."

Ahmed is a 21-year old naturalized United States citizen born in Pakistan. He was living in Atlanta when he was arrested on March 23, 2006, on the original indictment in this case, which charged him with one count of material support of terrorism. Ahmed has been in federal custody since March 23. The indictment was unsealed and publicly announced on April 20, 2006.

Sadequee is a 19-year old United States citizen of Bangladeshi descent, who lived in Roswell, Ga. before traveling to Bangladesh in August 2005. He was arrested by the FBI in Bangladesh on April 20, 2006, on a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York, charging him with making a false statement to federal agents. He has been in federal custody since that date. U.S. Attorney's Offices in Atlanta and New York are coordinating to arrange for Sadequee to be brought to Atlanta soon to face the more serious charges filed against him today.

"I would like to thank the many different law enforcement and intelligence agencies in many different countries who greatly assisted the FBI with this investigation," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory Jones of the Atlanta Office. "This investigation demonstrates the commitment of our Joint Terrorism Task Forces and the FBI's aggressive pursuit of these investigations to identify and disrupt such groups before innocent lives are placed in jeopardy."

A copy of the superseding indictment is attached. The indictment charges both Ahmed and Sadequee with four counts: a conspiracy and a substantive charge related to material support of terrorists involved in violent jihad activity in the United States and foreign nations; and a conspiracy and substantive charge related to material support of a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e Tayyiba, or "Army of the Righteous." The indictment also sets forth allegations describing the background, manner and means, and certain overt acts of the charged crimes.

Each of the four counts carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Magistrate Judge Gerrilyn G. Brill is expected to schedule arraignments for the two defendants in the next few days. The case is assigned to District Judge Clarence Cooper for trial.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by agents of the Atlanta Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Division.

U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert C. I. McBurney and Katherine B. Monahan are prosecuting the case.