Syed Fahad Hashmi
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Syed Mehmood Ahmed Hashmi (born 1980) is a Pakistani American and US Citizen. He was arrested in London, England on June 6, 2006 based on an indictment from the United States charging him with providing material support to Al-Qaeda. On 27 April, Hashmi pleaded guilty to a single terrorism charge in Federal District Court in Manhattan. He was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in prison.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and education
Hashmi was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1980. Upon birth he was also given the name Fahad and that is how most people know him. He emigrated with his family to the United States when he was three years old. His family settled in Flushing, New York where he was raised and attended school.
He graduated from Robert F Wagner High School in 1998 and then attended SUNY Stony Brook. He eventually transferred to Brooklyn College,[2] where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2003. A devout Muslim, through the years he established a reputation as an activist.[citation needed] In 2003 he enrolled at London Metropolitan University in England to pursue a master's degree in International relations which he received in 2006.[3]
[edit] Arrest and terrorism charges
On June 6, 2006 he was arrested at Heathrow Airport based on an indictment from an American federal grand jury. The charges were of conspiring to send money and military gear to al Qaeda associates who lived in Pakistan.[4] The charge is not that he actually provided military gear to al Qaeda, but that he allowed an acquaintance, Junaid Babar, to stay in his apartment for two weeks, and that this acquaintance brought military gear with him in a suitcase and later gave the gear to al Qaida. In addition, Hashmi's lawyer found out that the items being labeled as "military gear" were socks and rainproof ponchos.[5]
His arrest is based on the testimony of the man he is accused of aiding and abetting, Junaid Babar, who turned informant in a successful attempt to get a reduction in his own 70-year prison sentence. Again, Junaid had stayed for a short while in Hashmi's apartment in London, bringing "military gear" in a suitcase.[5][6]
He was housed as a Category A, high security, prisoner at HM Prison Belmarsh while fighting extradition to the United States. In March 2007, the High Court of England and Wales ruled against him.[7] He was then extradited to the United States in May 2007[8] and arraigned before District Judge Loretta A. Preska.[9]
Since he was extradited to the United States, he has been held in solitary confinement in pre-trial detention in the Special Housing Unit at Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan.[3] By April 2010 he had been held in isolation for nearly three years whilst awaiting trial. Prolonged isolation is considered a form of torture by the United Nations; medical testimony presented in Hashmi's case concluded that after 60 days' solitary detention people's mental state begins to break down and gradually develops into psychosis as the mind disintegrates.[10]
[edit] Guilty plea
On 27 April 2010 Hashmi pleaded guilty to a single terrorism charge in Federal District Court in Manhattan. He was asked by Judge Loretta A. Preska whether he was pleading “because you are in fact guilty?” to which Hashmi replied, “Alhamdulillah, yes.” Attorneys on both sides recommended a maximum prison term of 15 years. After the hearing one of Hahsmi’s lawyers, David Ruhnke said that “(Hashmi) made the best deal that was available under the circumstances,” adding that “He stepped up and accepted responsibility. The government wanted to lock him up for the rest of his life. They will not succeed in that goal.”[11]
[edit] References
- ^ "Syed Hashmi sentenced to 15 years for aiding Al Qaeda chief". Daily News (New York). 10 June 2010. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-06-10/news/29438661_1_syed-hashmi-terrorism-charges-material-support. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Elliott, Michael (2002-05-27). "Al-Qaeda now". CNN. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/05/27/time.alqaeda/. "Fahad Hashmi, a Pakistani-American student, spoke at the meeting, praising the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh."
- ^ a b Hentoff, Nat (2008-11-05). "A Brooklyn College Grad Experiences the Constitution in a Cage". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-11-05/columns/a-brooklyn-college-grad-experiences-the-constitution-in-a-cage/.
- ^ Hartocollis, Anemona, and Al Baker (2006-06-08). "U.S. Citizen Is Accused of Helping Al Qaeda". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/nyregion/08terror.html.
- ^ a b Kumar, Amitava (2010-02-08). "Kidnapped by the State". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amitava-kumar/kidnapped-by-the-state_b_453462.html.
- ^ Sullivan, Kevin, and Michelle Garcia (2006-06-08). "Britain Holds Suspect in Al-Qaeda Case". Washington Post: p. A18. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/07/AR2006060702287.html.
- ^ "Terror suspect to be extradited". BBC News. 2007-03-20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6470399.stm.
- ^ Feuer, Alan (2007-05-30). "In First for Britain, U.S. Citizen Is Extradited on Terror Charges". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/nyregion/30terror.html.
- ^ McShane, Larry (2007-05-26). "Terror Suspect Extradited to U.S.". http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3216096.
- ^ CounterPunch, 5 April 2010, The Ongoing Torture of Syed Fahad Hashmi
- ^ Ex-Brooklyn College Student Admits Conspiring to Help Al Qaeda
[edit] External links
- 1980 births
- Alumni of London Metropolitan University
- City University of New York alumni
- American people of Pakistani descent
- American people imprisoned on charges of terrorism
- American prisoners and detainees
- Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government
- Living people
- American Muslims
- Pakistani emigrants to the United States
- Prisoners at ADX Florence
