FBI translator arrested after his own voice was intercepted in terrorism investigation

A former FBI translator was arrested on Saturday on charges of falsifying a translation and lying to investigators after his own voice appeared on an audio recording during the surveillance of a suspect in a terrorism investigation. Abdirizak Jaji Raghe Wehelie, 66, who appeared in court on Monday, worked as “a linguist translating communications captured by court-authorized surveillance.” The Justice Department said, “Wehelie allegedly intentionally misidentified his own voice that was captured when Person A left a voicemail message on Wehelie’s mobile telephone,” and that he lied during questioning by the FBI. According to the criminal indictment unsealed on Monday, “Person A was suspected of having conspired with and aided and abetted Person B, who traveled to Somalia to join al-Shabaab,” a terrorist organization with links to al Qaeda that has killed hundreds of people in terrorist attacks. The Justice Department said "Person B" was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list. The individual is believed to be Liban Haji Mohamed, a former Virginia cab driver who left the U.S. to join al Shabab.

Wehelie was arrested Saturday night after returning from an international flight, and appeared in an Alexandria courtroom in the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday afternoon. He has been charged with seven counts of making false statements — related to allegedly misidentifying his own voice as an “unknown male” on an audio recording in a terrorism-related surveillance recording and then repeatedly lying to investigators — and with an eighth count of obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. He is free on bond. The indictment said in December 2012, Wehelie received a voicemail from Person A, and that message was captured on a recording, which he was asked to translate the very next day during government surveillance of Person A. Even though he knew it was his own voicemail, the Justice Department alleges Wehelie entered the name into the FBI’s system as an “unknown male” instead. The indictment further reveals that Wehelie had a longtime relationship with Person A, which he attempted to conceal from the FBI. Wehelie allegedly “told the FBI agents that he did not know Person A very well,” but the Justice Department revealed that there were “179 unique telephone contacts” between the two of them between July 2010 and September 2017, and Wehelie was spotted at Person A’s store and cafe at least three different times. In July 2017, Wehelie finally “admitted that he and Person A’s father were very close and that he has known Person A since Person A was young” and that “Person A regarded Wehelie as an uncle.” Wehelie is charged with entering false translations into the FBI’s system, lying to investigators during questioning, and obstructing a federal investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Gillis, with help from the Justice Department’s National Security Division, will prosecute the case.

This is not the first time that Wehelie’s family has been the subject of a terrorism-related controversy. Wehelie worked as a contractor for the FBI for a number of years despite his son Yusuf and his daughter Yahya finding themselves on the no-fly list after trips abroad in 2010. Yusuf Wehelie was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2017 on felony weapons charges. Investigators said he had allegedly made “dangerous statements" to undercover agents about the Islamic State, including that he "would like to join the group abroad” and “would love to jihad.”

The former FBI translator is also involved in a 2018 lawsuit against the U.S. government filed by attorneys at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The advocacy group contends that many of the government’s counterterrorism watchlist efforts, such as its Terrorist Screening Database, “rely upon the inarticulate hunches of federal officials, rank profiling, and vulgar guilt-by-association practices.” The FBI says the watchlist “serves as a bridge between homeland security, law enforcement, the intelligence community, and select international partners for the purpose of sharing terrorism-related information.” That case is being presided over by Judge Paula Xinis in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-translator-arrested-after-his-own-voice-was-intercepted-in-terrorism-investigation

GW EXTREMISM TRACKER TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES

https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/downloads/Nov.%202016%20Update.pdf

Schumer: Barr 'cannot be trusted'

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to summon special counsel Robert Mueller to testify because Attorney General William Barr, who was questioned last week by senators, is not trustworthy. “We need special counsel Mueller to testify because, as we have seen, the attorney general has shown us he cannot be trusted on the matter of the Russia investigation,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., “has an obligation” to summon Mueller now that President Trump is trying to “silence the special counsel.”

Trump tweeted earlier that Mueller should not testify about his investigation, which did not find sufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy but made no determination on obstruction. "No redos for the Dems!” Trump tweeted Sunday.

Graham said he won’t call Mueller to testify about the 448-page report but has invited him to testify about a phone call from Barr, who called Mueller after the special counsel sent Barr a letter complaining about Barr’s own four-page report to Congress on the findings. Democrats have turned on Barr and say they believe he lied to Congress about Mueller’s views of Barr’s memo. They want to hear from Mueller about the report.

Barr refused to appear before a House panel last week when Democrats planned to use committee lawyers to question him. Barr is now facing a contempt of Congress charge because he will not turn over the unredacted Mueller report, which by law must conceal grand jury and classified information. Schumer pointed to Barr’s refusal to testify as “contempt for the oversight responsibilities of Congress,” and as further reason Mueller should come to the Senate.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/schumer-barr-cannot-be-trustedhttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/schumer-barr-cannot-be-trusted

Sheriff’s Department Finds Way to Communicate With ICE Without Violating Sanctuary State Law

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has complained that California’s “Sanctuary State Law,” SB54, has made it difficult to enforce the law and comply with federal authorities. Among other restrictions, the law stipulates that state and local law enforcement are prohibited from holding illegal aliens on the basis of federal immigration detainers or transferring them into federal custody. It also prohibits state and local law enforcement from asking anyone about their immigration status or sharing any information with federal authorities.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has found a way to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without technically violating SB54. This is because the law, while prohibiting communication with ICE on certain offenses, does allow for information to be shared if it is made publicly available. Beginning in March 2018, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department decided to publicly release all inmate release dates, thus allowing ICE to be able to know when criminals would be released from custody. Between January and December 2018, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department transferred 717 inmates to ICE upon the completion of their local sentence.

In 2018, a total of 1,823 Orange County inmates had ICE detainers, meaning ICE requested that the Orange County sheriff notify them when the inmates were released. In an April press release, newly elected Sheriff Don Barnes spoke openly about his opposition to SB54, saying it hinders law enforcement from properly ensuring law and order. “Open communication among law enforcement partners is a best practice for public safety agencies,” said Barnes. “SB 54 hinders this communication and puts the community at risk.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/sheriffs-department-finds-way-to-communicate-with-ice-without-violating-sanctuary-state-law_2908906.html