Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal was a member of a terrorist group dubbed the

Portland Seven The Portland Seven was a group of United States, American Islam, Muslims from the Portland, Oregon area arrested in October 2002 as part of an FBI operation attempting to close down a terrorism, terrorist cell. The seven were attempting to join al Q ...

, some members of which attempted to travel to Afghanistan shortly after the September 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

) to aid the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

. He was indicted and arrested in Malaysia in October 2002. In 2003, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on gun charges and for conspiracy to aid the Taliban in fighting the

multinational force in Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

. He was released on June 27, 2011.

Ahmed Bilal and the Portland Seven

Patrice Lumumba Ford, Jeffrey Leon Battle, October Martinique Lewis (Battle's ex-wife), his brother Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Maher "Mike" Hawash, and Habis Abdulla al Saoub were the original seven members wanted by the US

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

. According to the FBI, in plea agreements Muhammad and Ahmed Bilal admitted to engaging in martial arts and firearms training to prepare themselves for military

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

in Afghanistan or elsewhere: On September 29, 2001, Battle, Ford and al Saoub were discovered while engaged in shooting practice in a gravel pit in

Skamania County Skamania County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,036. The county seat and largest incorporated city is Stevenson, although the Carson River Valley CDP is more populous. The ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Also present was Ali Khalid Steitiye, who was not indicted on terrorism charges, but was separately charged with other crimes. According to the indictment, on October 17, 2001, Battle and al Saoub flew out of

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...

en route to Afghanistan. On October 20, 2001, Ford and the two Bilals also took the same route out of the United States. The six male members of the group travelled to China in early 2002, with the intent of entering Afghanistan to aid the Taliban. Lacking visas and other documentation, they were turned back, and all but al Saoub returned to the United States. On Thursday, October 3, 2002, a federal grand jury in

United States District Court for the District of Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the sta ...

, at Portland, Oregon, indicted Battle, Ford, the two Bilals, al Saoub and Lewis. On October 4, 2002, four of the suspects were arrested, but Ahmed Bilal and al Saoub were both considered fugitives.FBI’S Joint Terrorism Task Force Arrests Four on Terrorism Charges, Two Others Who Were Indicted Are Now Fugitives
FBI Press Release, Portland Field Office, Google Cache, October 4, 2002 Al Saoub was killed by

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i forces in Afghanistan while part of an

al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

cell. Ford and Battle were both sentenced to eighteen years' imprisonment. Lewis was sentenced to three years in a federal prison camp. Muhammad Bilal got eight years. Hawash was sentenced to seven years.

References

External links

The Oregonian's news archive"Recordings reveal Portland Seven's brutal mindset" article with pictures of Bilal brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilal, Ahmed 1970s births Living people Terrorism in Malaysia