The puzzle that is Minh Quang Pham

[davidbfpo]

A strange story IMHO being a Vietnamese immigrant and so far nearly all the information I have found is based on an official DoJ / FBI / NYPD news release:http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...angarrest.html

..has been indicted on charges of providing material support to, and receiving military training from, al Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (“AQAP”), a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as possessing and using firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, and other violations....He also helped design and disseminate its propaganda....In December 2010, Pham traveled from the UK to Yemen...(he) returned to the UK from Yemen in (July) 2011. He was arrested today based on the Indictment described above. Prior to his arrest, Pham was held by British authorities in immigration custody.

WSJ adds:

Prosecutors said he had worked alongside two U.S. citizens as he helped al-Qaida design and distribute propaganda

Link:http://online.wsj.com/article/AP36cb...904a4c950.html

The Yemen connection:

Sources familiar with the case said he met with numerous leaders of AQAP in Yemen, including the terror group's then leader, Anwar al-Awlaki, and Samir Khan, editor of its English-language magazine "Inspire," and took a loyalty oath. Both Americans-turned-terror leaders were killed in a drone strike last September.

Link:http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...qaida-in-yemen

All quite strange. I don't dismiss a Vietnames origin male joining the Jihad. If he was an IT geek, spoke English, was a "clean skin" and able to travel freely he would have be quite a gain for his alleged hosts. So why did he travel to Yemen, one of those places that sets off alarm bells?

[davidbfpo]

A little more, this time from the UK end:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...n-7917278.html

[jmm99]

from David:
So why did he travel to Yemen, one of those places that sets off alarm bells?

that is, personal interviews by folks who can't travel easily from Yemen - and are not that safe there.

Regards

Mike