Oct. 15, 2004
By ROB JOHNSON
Staff Writer
THE TENNESSEAN
Photo: Ahmed Hassan Al-Uqaily was arrested Thursday afternoon after he allegedly tried to buy machine guns, grenades and ammunition from an undercover agent.
A U.S. magistrate judge yesterday ordered an Iraqi-born defendant held without bail pending trial on charges he illegally possessed M-16 guns.
On Oct. 7, Ahmed Hassan Al-Uqaily, 33, was apprehended immediately after taking possession of two disassembled guns, four hand grenades and 470 rounds of ammunition, federal affidavits state. The seller was an undercover agent working with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, which had been investigating Al-Uqaily since Aug. 5.
An informant who was an old acquaintance of Al-Uqaily had called the FBI with worries that the 33-year-old doughnut maker was extremely angry, law enforcement officials said.
Yesterday's hearing before U.S. Magistrate Cliff Knowles was to determine whether there were any conditions under which Al-Uqaily could be released on bail. Knowles ruled that there were not.
Wednesday, the government had balked at turning over some documents that in a routine criminal matter would have been turned over to defense attorneys.
Prosecutors argued that the documents, which reflected statements made by witnesses in the case, had since been stamped as ''classified'' by the federal government.
But before Knowles could make a ruling yesterday, the government had declassified the reports and handed them over.
Al-Uqaily has been active in his adopted home of Nashville, demonstrating often against the war and the violence in his native country.
He briefly served in Saddam Hussein's army, but he escaped about the time of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, then resettled in Nashville.
But the government charges that, in contrast to multiple examples of his peaceful protests and benevolent acts in Nashville, he harbored violent intentions.
According to FBI agents, Al-Uqaily mentioned to his old acquaintance that he was ''going jihad'' and later discussed two Jewish facilities in Nashville.
Prosecutors say Al-Ugaily eventually made arrangements to buy the weapons and had expressed interest in having a weapons dealer find him an anti-tank missile. Prosecutors say that his specific plans for the weapons, if he had them, are unknown.
If convicted of the weapons charges, Al-Uqaily faces a maximum prison term of 10 years.
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