Islamist Arrested in New York for Stockpiling Weapons

Ramadan Abdullah

It might be shocking to some to learn that an organization affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and that provides training for terrorists exists within the United States. Nevertheless, an organization known as Muslims of America does just that, directing operations from its headquarters in Hancock, New York. If one is known by the company one keeps, the MOA is a group that deserves its very bad reputation.

A long-time associate of a U.S.-based Islamist terrorist organization, Muslims of America (MOA), has been arrested in Johnson City, NY. Authorities discovered that he had a large cache of weapons inside a storage locker. A source inside MOA says the weapons were intended for the group’s “Islamberg” headquarters in Hancock, NY.

The suspect, 64-year old Ramadan Abdullah, was previously arrested in 1977 when he and another man tried to rob a candy store in Brooklyn and someone was murdered in the process. When police searched his home, they found enough material to build 50 bombs. In the end, the charges against Abdullah were strangely reduced (see below).

On May 31, Abdullah was arrested after trying to steal four boxes of ammunition from a local Gander Mountain store. When police questioned him about the purpose of the ammo, his answers made them suspicious, and they obtained a search warrant for a storage locker he was renting in the town of Union.

During that search, police found a large assortment of weaponry including:

• 8 assault weapons
• 4 loaded handguns
• 1 loaded shotgun
• 2 rifles
• 64 high-capacity ammunition feeding devices
• flak jackets
• 1,000s of rounds of ammunition, including .50-caliber armor-piercing rounds

Searches of other residences linked to Abdullah turned up another loaded handgun, more high-capacity ammunition feeding devices and ammunition, including .38-caliber rounds.

That’s quite an arsenal Abdullah had amassed there, and we can safely assume he was not planning to use this gear just for self-defense.

New York State Police Major Jim Barnes would not say whether Abdullah was connected to terrorist groups or any organizations, but confirmed that police believe Abdullah had made trips overseas.

“There’s no indications there was a plan in place to commit an act of violence. However, it begs the question, what was he doing with all this and what were his intentions down the road?” said New York State Police Maj. Jim Barnes.

“It’s just a tremendous blessing to be able to take all these high power weapons and high power ammunition off the streets, and who knows what kind of large scale tragedy that this investigation may have prevented later down the road,” said Johnson City Police Chief Brent Dodge.

Of course, CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, defends MOA even though the group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the FBI. From the nature of its compounds which are no-go areas for non-Muslims, as well as its activities and the sort of men who are members, it’s a designation that is well-deserved.

MOA is led by a radical cleric in Pakistan named Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani, who demands a cultish loyalty from his followers in America. Gilani indoctrinates them to follow a hate-filled extremist ideology that includes violent jihad against perceived enemies of Islam and a belief that they are fulfilling apocalyptic prophecies.

The group has claimed to have 22 “Islamic villages” across the U.S., mostly in rural areas, which have been used as guerilla training compounds. The group also has a history of committing acts of terrorism and crimes including murder, gun smuggling, narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

A 2007 FBI report warns that MOA “possesses an infrastructure capable of planning and mounting terrorist campaigns overseas and within the U.S.”  It says “members of the MOA are encouraged to travel to Pakistan to receive religious and military/terrorist training from [Sheikh] Gilani.”

Confidential sources inside MOA say that Ramadan Abdullah has been a significant member of the group since it first formed in the United States in 1980 and helped buy the land that became “Islamberg.” Additional research substantiates their information that he is close to MOA members.

They say that he is an “elder” and often visits Islamberg to spend time with older members but does not live inside the commune. He’s also provided firearms instruction for MOA, they report.

The sources say that Abdullah’s weapons were destined for the group, specifically Islamberg.

While MOA denies it is a terrorist organization, what else can it be called?

MOA obviously denies that it is an extremist organization and blasts its critics as anti-Muslim bigots. It is helped in this endeavor by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group with its own extremist ties which include being identified by the U.S. Justice Department as a Muslim Brotherhood entity. CAIR and MOA are increasingly close, attacking their opponents’ character at every turn.

The arrest of Ramadan Abdullah and the discovery of his arms stockpile should be a wake up call to the danger posed by MOA and its Pakistan-based leadership.

The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it exists and properly identifying it. We ignore groups such as MOA at our own peril. There is no right in America to assemble with the intent to conspire to commit violence. It’s long past time that government officials identify this group for what it is, and commence actions to shut it down, confiscate its weapons, and pursue charges against members who are preparing to engage in terrorist activities.

Source: Clarion Project