The Incarceration of Edward Flinton, Part IIBack in April of 2006, I wrote a post about Edward Flinton, one of the most notorious members of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, who is now incarcerated in Colorado. Flinton is in prison for conspiracy to murder Phoenix imam Dr. Rashad Khalifa. Flinton had been a member of a terrorist cell called "the Muhammad Commandos of Sector 5" and was based at Fuqra's Trout Creek Pass compound near Buena Vista, CO. The cell had been involved in multiple bombing plots, some of which were actually carried out, along with surveillance of infrastructure and military targets, white collar criminal activities, and terrorist training. The investigation of this cell involved over 50 investigative and law enforcement entities. The discovery of their storage locker, which included plans, bombmaking materials, weapons and other related items broke the case wide open.
Flinton and others went on the lam for several years, hiding out at Fuqra safehouses in other states. He fled to VA and SC, where he was eventually arrested. Fuqra leaders had hoped to smuggle him to Pakistan, but alas, they were unsuccessful.
As I noted in my previous post, Flinton became eligible for parole just last month, December 18th, actually. Through a search on the CO Department of Corrections website, I found that the Parole Board was scheduled for a visit to Flinton's facility, the Delta Correctional Center, on Thursday, the 21st. I contacted the prison and was informed that Flinton indeed met with the parole board and was denied. He will meet with them again in December 2007, but it is unlikely he will be granted parole then either.
The facility in which Flinton is serving is a Level 1, or minimum security, facility. The atmosphere is not unlike a college campus and his accomodations similar to a dorm room. There is a mixture of inmates from various religions, including Islam, at the facility and they are free to practice their faith. However, there is no Muslim chaplain or imam located at the facility. An inmate is usually designated by the state's corrections imam to lead activities there.
Flinton, now 61, had previously been in a more secure prison, but through "good behavior" earned his way into this one. Flinton does have a job that he reports to, but it is onsite at the facility. Inmates can earn 10 days per month off their sentence on "good behavior", but are required to serve at least 75% of their sentence. As it currently stands, his current estimated release date is June 2015.
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Related Links:
Colorado DOC - Inmate No. 94445
The Incarceration of Edward Flinton
Fuqra Compound: Colorado
1 comment:
Interesting stuff.
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