Fuqra Fugitives

On September 29, 2005, a man named Frank Albert Nelson, aka Abdulla Ali, of York, SC was arrested for shooting and wounding a New York police officer in 1971. A fugitive for almost 34 years, he had found his way to South Carolina. For several months or maybe a year prior to his arrest, he lived on Flintlock Drive, right near the compound (also on Flintlock Drive) known as "Holy Islamville" that is linked to Muslims of the Americas and Jamaat ul-Fuqra. He was affiliated with the group and had been attending the mosque there. (Read the news story here. See the US Marshals press release here).

The group's elder, Ali Abdur-Rashid, was quoted as saying about the arrest, "I'm as surprised as anyone."

The article about Nelson's arrest stated that,

Federal authorities and York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant said they had no reason to believe anyone at the 36-acre religious compound was aware of Nelson's past.

"I mean, how could we know? He wasn't even a Muslim 34 years ago," said Abdur-Rashid, a former Marine who regularly travels to the Middle East in connection with his faith. "It's embarrassing more than anything else. We do not harbor fugitives here; this is a holy place. The public should not hold this against us." (emphasis added)

Now, maybe Mr. Nelson had been able to conceal his past. Maybe nobody asked and he never told. But, I emphasized Ali Rashid's statement about not harboring fugitives because it just isn't true. Whether he knew about Nelson or not, I don't know, but I do know that he is not the first criminal fugitive to be arrested at an MOA compound and the others were definitely known criminals. Contrary to the pious facade they intend to convey, Muslims of the Americas is affiliated with criminals and they do harbor criminal fugitives.

On November 15, 2004, the US Marshals announced the arrest of Tabari Malik Shabir in a traffic stop, again on Flintlock Drive in York, SC. He was indicted by the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in April 2004 and had been a fugitive for seven months. He was charged with Posession and Attempted Posession With Intent to Distribute 57 kilograms of Cocaine. (Read the news story here. Read the US Marshals press release here).

Most notorious of Holy Islamville's affiliates is Edward Flinton. In 1993, authorities indicted Mr. Flinton for conspiracy to commit murder. He was a member a Colorado-based Fuqra cell known as the "Muhammad Commandos of Sector 5" and admitted to personally authoring the plan to kill Dr. Rashad Khalifa in 1990. He was finally arrested in 1996 -- also at the South Carolina compound.

Of course, the South Carolina compound isn't the only one that has harbored fugitives. A source told me Flinton and his family had been hiding out for years at one of the other MOA/Fuqra compounds. (See his website here!). His estimated discharge from prison is 2015, but he is scheduled to have a parole hearing in December of this year. Two other accomplices from the Colorado cell have already been released.

Co-conspirator in the Khalifa murder, James D. Williams avoided arrest until 2000, when he was caught in Lynchburg, VA. He had been living at the compound in Red House. He is now pursuing a second career in the field of incarceration. See ya in 2063 Jimmy!

Another of the group's members, James Hobson aka Umar Abdussalam, was arrested by US Marshals at the Baladullah, CA compound on a warrant from South Carolina on the charge that he was running guns between South Carolina and New York.

Yeah, so as you can see, the "we don't harbor fugitives" line doesn't really fly. And yes, Rashid, the public should hold it against you. You know well what goes on.

I hope some of this information just reiterates that this organization can not be taken for granted. Muslims of the Americas may cite religious reasons for their rural existence, but I believe the real reason is to conceal the activities and/or presence of certain elements of its membership.

Be vigilant, America.