Former U.S. Navy Sailor Sentenced in Terror Case Posted: April 3, 2009

A former U.S. sailor convicted of leaking classified information about a U.S. Naval battle group to alleged terror supporters has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

Hassan Abujihaad, 32, sentenced on April 3, 2009, was found guilty in 2008 of leaking classified information about the U.S. missile destroyer USS Benfold, on which he was stationed, and other ships within its battle group. These ships were deployed in the Persian Gulf to enforce sanctions against the Taliban and to employ missions against Al Qaeda in 2001, according to court documents.

In federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz emphasized the seriousness of Abujihaad's crime and that the U.S. must "protect classified information from getting into the hands of those who stand opposed to [the] concepts of freedom." 

The leak "does constitute a fundamental betrayal of your country and of your oath.  You endangered your colleagues, you endangered your vessel and other vessels and other sailors and you endangered your country," Kravitz said.

Abujihaad is a California native who converted to Islam in 1995, legally changing his name from Paul R. Hall to Hassan Abujihaad, Arabic for "Father of jihad."  Arrested in Phoenix in March 2007, Abujihaad is linked with several other suspected and convicted terrorists. 

Court documents indicate that he provided classified information via e-mail to members of Azzam Publications, a London-based organization that allegedly provided material support to individuals involved in terrorism activities through Web sites and e-mail communications.  The FBI affidavit in Abujihaad's case alleges that "the Azzam websites were among the first to successfully utilize the internet on a global scale to propagate the call to jihad." 

Many of Azzam Publications' Web sites were hosted for a period of time on the servers of a Web hosting company based in Connecticut.  E-mails Abujihaad sent to London were also routed through Connecticut computers.

Azzam Publications was run by Syed Talha Ahsan and Babar Ahmad, who are both British-born computer specialists.  Both men are currently under indictment in Connecticut, charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons or damage property in a foreign country.  Both Ahsan and Ahmad, who is also charged with money laundering, are currently fighting extradition to the U.S.

In 2003, British authorities found classified information, including how some Navy ships could be singled out for an attack, on a password-protected document at Ahmad's home.  In addition to providing the naval information to Ahmad, Abujihaad also purchased videos promoting jihad, including at least one that he sent to his shipboard address, and donated money to Azzam Publications.  In one e-mail exchange with Ahmad, Abujihaad praised Osama bin Laden, the Mujahideen and the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors, according to court documents.

Evidence gathered in the case of Derrick Shareef, an Illinois man who pleaded guilty to planning an attack at an area shopping mall by setting off grenades in garbage cans, provided additional information about Abujihaad's activity.

Abujihaad and Shareef reportedly met at the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix and lived together for about seven months in 2003 and 2004.  Later in 2004, when Abujihaad learned of Ahmad's arrest in London through the press, he reportedly told Shareef, "I think this article is talking about me."

Shareef moved to Illinois in 2004 and befriended an undercover agent.  The agent subsequently recorded conversations he had with Shareef in which Shareef confirmed that Abujihaad sent information about Navy ships to a Web site. Shareef also told the agent that he and Abujihaad had previously discussed attacking a military base in San Diego or a recruiting station in Phoenix. 

Abujihaad's attorneys filed an appeal of their client's conviction immediately after today's sentencing.

On March 4, 2009, Judge Kravitz overturned Abujihaad's 2008 conviction of providing material support to terrorists, citing the language of the law.  He found that the government did not sufficiently prove that Abujihaad's actions constituted the provision of "personnel" or "physical assets" within the meaning of the law prohibiting provision of material support to terrorists.