New York, May 27: A New York man accused of pledging allegiance to al Qaeda in Yemen and buying digital watches prosecutors said could be used as explosives timers, was denied bail on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.
Brooklyn, New York-born Wesam El-Hanafi, 35, was remanded in custody by U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman, who cited his “technological sophistication.”
El-Hanafi pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network. He was arrested on April 30 in Dubai, where he had been working for the past four years, his attorney, JaneAnne Murray, said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan said El-Hanafi was intent on helping al Qaeda with his computer knowledge, money and other means.
“He knowingly joined a group whose purpose is to attack America,” Cronan said. Al Qaeda was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks that destroyed New York’s World Trade Center.
Murray argued her client was not at risk of flight and should be allowed to post bail.
Cronan said El-Hanafi held coded online chats discussing fighting overseas, made international wire transfers to al Qaeda militants and bought seven digital Casio watches through Internet seller Amazon.com.
The alarm in the watches could be used as a trigger for a bomb, Cronan said, citing a test device that convicted 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef planted on a Tokyo bound flight.
“The watch’s alarm can trigger the device,” Cronan said.
Cronan said El-Hanafi traveled to Yemen in February 2008 with the purpose of linking up with al Qaeda leadership.
Once there, a hood was placed over his head and he was taken to a house where he met with senior members of al Qaeda, to whom he pledged allegiance, Cronan said.
El-Hanafi then assumed more of a leadership role, Cronan said, adding “he basically formed his own mini-terror cell.”
Prosecutors said El-Hanafi was a valuable asset to al Qaeda because of his technological sophistication, pointing to his use of fake names, online encryption software and hard to trace “anonymous prepaid phones.”
“He instructed al Qaeda in ways of accessing the Internet through encryption techniques to avoid law enforcement,” Cronan said.
Another New York man was arrested as part of the probe. Sabirhan Hasanoff, 34, a dual U.S. and Australian citizen was also denied bail at a hearing last week.
–Agencies