Article published April 03, 2008
EX-GI POSED AS EXTREMIST
'The Trainer' begins terror trial testimony
U.S. informant describes making contacts
Darren Griffin leaves court after about five hours on the stand.
(
THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY
)
|
By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A paid government informant, once known only as "The Trainer," came out of the shadows yesterday to testify in federal court about his created identity as an Islamic extremist - and his means of gathering information about terrorist threats against the United States.
Darren Griffin, 42, an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, said he began working for the FBI in 2001. For several years under the cover of a beard, Arabic clothing, and the guise that he was a disenchanted veteran who sympathized with Islamic extremists, Mr. Griffin made contacts in the Toledo-area Muslim community.
And for a paycheck of nearly $56,000 a year, he began interactions with those who responded to his talk of "jihad," or holy war, overseas. Included in those discussions were three Toledo-area men now on trial for terrorist-related charges.
Mr. Griffin testified in U.S. District Court in Toledo for about five hours yesterday on day two of the jury trial of Mohammad Zaki Amawi, 28; Marwan Othman El-Hindi, 45, and Wassim I. Mazloum, 26.
The three men are each charged with planning to wage a "holy war" using skills they learned on the Internet. Specifically, the government alleged that the three conspired to kill or injure people in the Middle East - including U.S. troops serving in Iraq - as well as providing "support and resources" to terrorists.
Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi also are charged with "distributing information regarding explosives."If convicted, the men face up to life in prison.
Mr. Griffin said he attended a local mosque on Monroe Street and he openly spoke of his opposition to the U.S. occupation in Iraq. The purpose, he said, was to see who would respond.
Most people shied away, he said, and some even reported him to the FBI.
But Mr. Griffin testified that he found interest and sympathetic ears in Mr. El-Hindi and Mr. Amawi. Using hidden voice and video devices, Mr. Griffin began recording conversations.
Calling himself Bilal, Mr. Griffin built a relationship with the men - although not at the same time - and soon began talking regularly to Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi about training to help fight against U.S. troops overseas.
The conversations focused on Mr. Griffin's ability to train those interested in jihad.
In one conversation recorded in June, 2004, Mr. Amawi spoke of his philosophies on war and his attempts earlier in the year to cross into Iraq from Jordan.
"I'm still thinking about jihad," Mr. Amawi said at one point on the tape. "If I had the money, honestly I would go and fight."
During opening statements Tuesday, defense attorneys for Mr. Amawi and Mr. El-Hindi told jurors that there were more than 300 hours of recorded conversations of Mr. Griffin and the defendants. They cautioned that the government would play only "snippets," adding that taken out of context, they could be perceived as "sinister."
Throughout the afternoon, various recordings were played for jurors, who listened to the voices through headphones while transcriptions scrolled on computer screens.
In another recorded conversation, Mr. Griffin spoke to Mr. El-Hindi about two cousins from Chicago. Mr. El-Hindi introduced Mr. Griffin to Khaleel and Zubair Ahmed at an Islamic Circle of North America conference in July, 2004, saying that they wanted to be "trained."
Khaleel and Zubair Ahmed have been arraigned on terrorism-related charges and will be tried separately in U.S. District Court in Toledo.
In a later conversation in October, 2005, Mr. El-Hindi said the cousins would have to prove that they were not "playing games." He then asked Mr. Griffin how many people he needed to start the training.
"I want to teach how the U.S. does things," Mr. Griffin said in the recording. "You have to understand your enemy."
"We can't lose," Mr. El-Hindi responded.
When asked yesterday in court to clarify who the enemy was in the conversation, Mr. Griffin responded: "U.S. forces and their allies."
Mr. Griffin's testimony for the government is expected to last several days before being questioned by defense attorneys.
During opening statements, defense attorneys attacked Mr. Griffin's credibility, saying that he had both past drug and money problems. They added that he had more than 350,000 reasons to entrap the defendants and lie about the true intentions of the three men.
Mr. Griffin testified yesterday that he was paid more than $350,000 by the FBI for his work as an informant and that he still receives money from the agency.
Mr. Griffin said he joined forces with the FBI after working for more than a year as a volunteer with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Initially attracted to the DEA for "selfish reasons" after drug dealers initiated a fight with him while at a bar, Mr. Griffin said he began posing as a drug dealer in Toledo in 2001.
He also began regularly using cocaine and marijuana, he testified.
In tearful testimony, Mr. Griffin explained that he decided to do more after watching the second plane crash into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He said he no longer wanted to be a part of the problem but instead a "solution."
He soon began working with the FBI, moved to the LaSalle building in downtown Toledo as part of his identity, and was asked to gather information on certain members of the Muslim community who were considered "persons of interest."
At the time, Mr. El-Hindi, Mr. Amawi, and Mr. Mazloum were not on that list.
Before Mr. Griffin took the witness stand yesterday, the 18 members of the jury, which includes six alternates, were given preliminary instructions on what charges the accused men face.
Judge James Carr, who is presiding over the case, explained each charge and what the government must prove, including that the defendants "knowingly and willingly joined a conspiracy" that involved two or more people attempting to kill or maim persons in a foreign country.
Testimony is scheduled to continue in federal court this morning.
Contact Erica Blake at: eblake@theblade.com or 419-724-6076.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
Search
advertisement
