Al Qeada Iraqis, Waad Ramadan Alwan And Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, Will Be Arraigned In Bowling Green Federal Court On Wed.. God Willing, I'll Be There!

(Iraqi refugees Waad Ramadan Alwan (left), 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, both of Bowling Green, were charged last week with plotting to send explosives, guns and missiles to al-Qaida in Iraq.)

Hearing set for suspects
Homeland Security official says screening gaps that allowed two Iraqi refugees into the U.S. have been addressed
By DEBORAH HIGHLAND

Two Iraqi refugees facing federal terrorism charges are scheduled to be back in federal court here at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday for a detention hearing in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Robert Goebel.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, are in custody facing terrorism charges after a federal grand jury in Bowling Green returned a 23-count indictment against the men May 25. They were arrested here May 26. Both entered the country legally as refugees seeking asylum.

Court documents show that federal prosecutors intend to use in court information obtained pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Portions of that act were amended by the Patriot Act, a set of laws that has set off rigorous debate in Washington, D.C.

In January, the FBI’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center identified two latent fingerprints that belonged to Alwan in a component of an unexploded improvised explosive device that U.S. military personnel found in Bayji, Iraq, in September 2005, according to federal court records. Alwan worked in a power plant in Bayji at that time.

The center processes fingerprints in order of importance assigned by the military when evidence is collected. The center receives tens of thousands of items for processing, FBI spokesman David Beyer said. This particular piece of evidence did not have a high priority placed on it because it had not exploded.

A Homeland Security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said this case points to gaps that previously existed in the screening process for refugees. Those gaps have now been addressed, he said.

“Our procedures continue to check applicants’ names and fingerprints against records of individuals known to be security threats, including the terrorist watchlist, or of law enforcement concern,” the Homeland Security official said in an email. “In addition, information being provided by applicants is now rigorously compared with a broader set of data, including additional intelligence information, to identify individuals who may have previously been unknown.”

Federal officials will not say whether the men were on a terrorist watch list before their arrests.

The government has altered the criteria and nomination process for the terrorist watch list and enhanced information sharing between government agencies, the Homeland Security official said. Homeland Security also conducts “recurrent vetting.”

The steps in place now can “comprehensively connect available pieces of intelligence not only to conclusively identify (individuals) who are known to be of security concern, but also to identify people and connections that we don’t know,” he said.

“These process enhancements do a better job at keeping dangerous individuals from entering the United States in the first place,” he said. “Additionally, through our use of recurrent vetting, we are now able to identify individuals and take action as new records are added to the terrorist watchlist or other intelligence sources, even after the application checks were completed or the person admitted to the U.S.”

Alwan is accused of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals overseas, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals overseas, distributing information on how to manufacture and use improvised explosive devices, attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al-Qaida in Iraq and conspiring to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Hammadi is charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al-Qaida in Iraq, as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Alwan lived in public housing on Gordon Avenue with his wife and children. During his court testimony, he said through an interpreter that he worked for a friend in a supermarket for less than minimum wage. He did not name the supermarket. Alwan entered the United States in April 2009, settling in Bowling Green. By September of that year, the FBI was already investigating him.

Hammadi lived in Section 8, government-subsidized housing on Flanigan Court. He worked for Perdue Chicken until about two months ago, according to his federal court testimony. Hammadi entered the country in July 2009 in Las Vegas and moved to Bowling Green in December 2009.

Hammadi and Alwan are related, according to court documents. But the documents do not say how the two men are related.

The FBI used a confidential informant during the investigation. Alwan told the informant that Hammadi was an experienced insurgent in Iraq and was initially reluctant to meet with the informant.

As refugees, both men were eligible for certain government-subsidized benefits, such as cash and health benefits.