– WADIH EL-HAGE

 

 

In 1978 Wadih El Hage arrived to USA as a student and began urban planning study in Lafayette University in Louisiana. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1980 Wadih El Hage vent to Pakistan, joined the Mujahidin, and fought the Soviets in Afghanistan up to 01/1985 when he flew back to USA. At that time in Afghanistan Wadih El Hage got acquainted with Dr’ Abdullah Azzam and Osama Bin Laden , later the founders of “ Al Qaeda ”.

In 1985 Wadih El Hage married, in an arranged marriage, a young Muslim aged 18 from Arizona. After graduation in 1986 Wadih El Hage relocated to Arizona. In Arizona he worked in different low wage jobs and traveled several times to Pakistan. In 1989 Wadih El Hage became a USA citizen. In 12/1989, in an Islamic conference In Oklahoma, he met a member of Al Farook Mosque in Brooklyn Mahmud Abuhalima . At that time Wadih El Hage passed over to Mahmud Abuhalima a gun that was used by El Sayyid Nosair to murder Rabbi Meir Kahane on 11/05/1990.

In 01/31/1990 a moderate Muslim Dr. Rashad Khalifa from Tucson, Texas, was murdered by extreme members of local Islamic group – “Al Fuqra” (In Arabic – The Poor). The police suspected that Wadih El Hage was somehow involved in the assassination but could not prove it.  

In 03/01/1991 Wadih El Hage moved to New York and helped to direct the “Al Kifah” association, based in the Al Farook Mosque , to raise money for the needy in Afghanistan. A week after moving to New York Wadih El Hage went to visit El Sayyid Nosair in Rikers Island. After a year in New York Wadih El Hage moved to Sudan and worked as an employee of Osama Bin Laden in his businesses. In this job Wadih El Hage also traveled several times to Europe.

Under the pressure of his wife, April, Wadih El Hage relocated in 1994 to Kenya’s capital Nairobi as the director of . In his new job Wadih El Hage had close relations with Ubaidah al Banshiri , that was later identified as Al Qaeda’s leader in East Africa, and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed , the coordinator of the double attack on USA embassy in Kenya and Tanzania on 08/07/1998.   

Because of Wadih El Hage’s suspicious relations his house in Nairobi was raided in 08/21/1997, when he was in Afghanistan, by the local police, probably because of USA demand and supervision.  Wadih El Hage himself was questioned by the police when he came back from Afghanistan two days later. In his phone book the investigators found the telephone numbers of senior Al Qaeda operatives like Mohamed Atta,  Essam Marzouk and Mamoun Darkazanli, which at that time were meaningless.

Under the pressure of Kenya’s authority Wadih El Hage sold all his properties in Kenya and flew back to USA with his family in 08/26/1997. He settled in Arlington, Texas, enrolled his children to a local Islamic school and got a job in a nearby store. After the double attack on USA embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on 08/07/1998 Wadih El Hage was arrested on 09/15/1998 and questioned by the FBI. He denied any connection with Osama Bin Laden or any of the other people involved in the embassies bombing.

Wadih El Hage was charged on 10/07/1998 for a conspiracy to kill nationals of the USA. He was convicted on 2001 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Today (02/2007) he is in Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

On 04/23/2013 Wadih El Hage was reconvicted and resentenced to to life in prison without parole.

* Related topics –

 

• NEW YORK STATE -JAMAAT AL-FUkRA  
  PROFILE -ABDEL BATTERJEE  
  PROFILE -MOHAMMED AL-MASAARI  

 

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