The Portland Seven
The Portland Seven was a group of
American Muslims from the
Portland, Oregon area
arrested in October
2002 as part of an
FBI operation attempting to close down a
terrorist cell. The seven were attempting to join
Al Qaeda forces in their fight against the United States military and
coalition forces in
Afghanistan, or aiding in that attempt.
Originally referred to as "The Portland Six",
Patrice Lumumba Ford,
Jeffrey Leon Battle,
October Martinique Lewis (Battle's ex-wife),
Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal,
Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, and
Habis Abdulla al Saoub made up the original six members arrested in October 2002. In April 2003,
Maher "Mike" Hawash was arrested, and the name became "The Portland Seven".
The members of the Portland Seven "were all named in the 15-count superseding indictment that included charges of conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, conspiracy to contribute services to al Qaeda and the Taliban, conspiracy to possess and discharge firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and money laundering." [
1]
On September 29, 2001, Battle, Ford, al Saoub and
Ali Khalid Steitiye were discovered while engaged in shooting practice in a gravel pit in
Skamania County,
Washington. The group was discovered by Deputy Sheriff
Mark Mercer who was acting on a tip from a neighbor who had heard gunfire in the pit. Deputy Mercer let the men go after taking their names and reported the incident to the FBI. Battle was taped in a secretly recorded conversation indicating that they had considered killing Deputy Mercer when confronted: "We was up there blowin it up … We was lightin' it up … [W]e looked at it as worship because what our intentions were, to learn to shoot for. And a cop came up and he was like hey … you don't understand how close he was gonna get popped … yeah, we was gonna pop him." Battle later indicated they had opted not to kill the officer because he seemed "cool." [
2] Battle, Ford, and al Saoub went on to become the core of the "Portland Seven". Ali Khalid Steitiye was convicted in 2002 on firearms, fraud and immigration charges and testified against the others in 2004 as part of a plea agreement in a weapons-possession charge.
The six male members of the group travelled to
China in early 2002, with the intent of entering Afghanistan to aid the Taliban. Lacking visas and other documentation, they were turned back, and all but al Saoub returned to the United States.
Habis al Saoub joined an al Qaeda cell and was killed by
Pakistani forces in
Afghanistan in October
2003. Ford and Battle are each serving eighteen-year sentences. Lewis was sentenced to three years in a work camp. Muhammad Bilal received an eight-year sentence, while Ahmed Bilal got ten years. Hawash was sentenced to seven years.
*
The Oregonian's news archive*
Significance of the sentences and effects of the case on the USA PATRIOT Act*
"Recordings reveal Portland Seven's brutal mindset" article with pictures of Bilal brothers*
Picture of six members, minus Hawash*An
older photograph of Hawash and a
more current one
