Thursday August 21, 2014
A Seattle man accused in a nationwide murder spree told investigators that he had launched his own "jihad" against Americans, according to sources familiar with statements made by Ali Muhammad Brown after his arrest.
Brown was part of a ring of men in South Seattle that were arrested by FBI terrorism agents in 2004 and under suspicion of funding terror groups. The feds convicted Brown and some of the other men on bank fraud charges.
"The FBI was unable to actually make a terrorism conviction," said David Gomez – the former head of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Seattle.
Agents couldn't prove the money was being used to finance terrorist operations.
The group was led by Ruben Shumpert, who owned Crescent Cuts Barbershop, which the FBI raided in 2004.He was the first in the ring to turn talk about fighting America into action.
Shumpert skipped out on this federal sentencing in 2006 and was later believe to have been killed fighting for the terrorist organization al-Shabab in Somalia. He was reportedly killed fighting US backed forces in Somalia.
Now, Brown is suspected of killing in the name of Jihad.
Gomez says it's hard to determine if Brown is truly fighting a holy war, or if he is simply trying to justify his thirst for blood.
"After four homicides, probably the most appropriate label to put on Ali Mohammad is 'serial killer,'" said Gomez