Buffalo FBI chief explains Lackawanna Six

9/11. WMD. Lackawanna Six.

These three phrases are synonymous with the Bush administration's war on terror, and terms that are instantly identifiable, but not always easily explained.

The story surrounding the mysterious six men who were arrested in Lackawanna, a suburb just south of Buffalo, was explained to a new degree when one of Buffalo's top FBI agents spoke to UB alumni Thursday at the UB Alumni Luncheon Speaker Series.

"Lackawanna Six and Beyond" featured Edward Needham, a senior agent at the FBI Buffalo Joint Terrorism Task Force, and detailed what law enforcement has learned from its investigation leading to the highly-publicized prosecution of the six Lackawanna men involved in terrorism-related activities.

"The work has not ceased. If anything, it's increased, especially for Buffalo, because it's a border city," Needham said.

The threat of terrorism remains steady, with agents following thousands of leads from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Most leads are never in the media, according to Needham.

There are a few hoaxes now and then, like a bomb threat that once closed down the Peace Bridge, but the task force follows many calls from concerned citizens reporting suspicious activity.

"We prefer people call and let us determine whether or not there's a legitimate threat," Needham said.

The investigation of the Lackawanna men began just that way, through an anonymous letter from a concerned citizen. Sometimes letters of this nature turn out to be what Needham called "poison pen letters," where someone wants to get another person in trouble. But the more investigators followed the lead regarding the Lackawanna men, the more credible the tip became.

The writer remains anonymous today, with only parts of the letter released to the media.

"I cannot give you my name because I fear for my life..." the person wrote, referring to how the suspects attended an Osama Bin Laden training camp.

Searches of names in the letter revealed links to drug and cigarette tax cases and an official investigation was opened.

The rest is history, with the six suspects - Mukhtar al-Bakri, Yasein Taher, Shafal Mosed, Yahya Goba, Faysal Galab and Sahim Alwan - receiving seven to ten years at federal prisons throughout the northeast.

Testimony from the Lackawanna men has aided in other related investigations. Goba has been articulate regarding training camps and the relationship to recruiters and is a material witness for the FBI.

"He may be used at the Guantanomo Bay trials, which are going to be historical when they start," Needham said.

The FBI will watch release of the men, scheduled to be sometime between 2011 and 2014, closely.

"You can't follow someone just because they've been convicted," Needham said. "But there's no question when they get out that I will continue to meet with them whether they like it or not."

The Lackawanna case set a precedent for the handling of terrorist suspects, led to greater investigation resulting in more arrests, and a greater understanding of the recruitment and training of terrorists.

The Lackawanna men attended the training camp during a historical time in summer of 2001 within months of the Sept.11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers. Bin Laden spoke of 40 to 50 men on a suicide mission to attack the United States and discussed alliances of al Qaeda with Egyptian-Islamic jihad. Federal agents were able to trace 16 of the 19 hijackers through terrorist training camps.

"Most people who left the camp during that time knew that something big was going to happen-an attack was inevitable," Needham said.

Upon returning, the men lied, saying they were in Pakistan for an Islamic missionary movement. The training camp they attended glorified suicide missions, provided training in weapons and explosives and fostered a brand of extremism that is anti-American. The skewed message to Islamic youth is that joining will save them in heaven, and the false rewards extend far beyond those who attend.

"If you can't go to jihad training, you get the same reward in heaven if you pay for someone to go," Needham said. "They want to make the whole world a radical Islamic state. That's their goal, and we're in their way."

Training camp recruiters tend to be more committed. Others feel heavy moral guilt from drug involvement or having children out of wedlock and look at terrorist training as a way to save their soul.

"There's certainly a growing population of radical extremists in Europe and Asia. It's a global war."

In addition to the six Lackawanna men, a seventh, Jaber Elbaneh, never returned from the training camp and is still at large.

"We hope to get him before I retire," Needham said. The government is offering $5 million for information leading to the capture of Elbaneh's, who is believed to be in Yemen.

In a related investigation, Mohammed Albanna, a Muslim leader in the Lackawanna community, funneled $3.5 million to Yemen within three months.

"If you provide training, funding, personnel, you're providing material support under the legal statute," Needham said.

Needham credited the Patriot Act with helping agencies share intelligence and said the system worked well during the investigation of the Lackawanna men. Agents work with mainstream Muslims and have regular meetings with the local Muslim community.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force was formed in 1979 in response to several terrorist incidents. The 35 locations nationwide have expanded to 100 following the Sept. 11 tragedy in 2001. The Buffalo office covers 17 counties in Western New York, with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies sharing intelligence and databases daily.

Needham did graduate study at UB before joining the FBI in 1988. In addition to the Lackawanna Six case, he worked in Washington on counterterrorism and was involved in the terrorism investigation of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

"That man and his agency deserve a crown in heaven for a marvelous job and the great work they're doing," said Joan Chonger, who is involved in the UB community and attended the luncheon.

"It was interesting," said Cliff Stumm. "I think there's a lot of things he'd like to say but can't tell us."