DETROIT — The Detroit leader of a nationwide fundamentalist Islamic group was fatally shot during a series of FBI raids Wednesday afternoon.
The FBI arrested 10 people who have ties to the group called the Ummah, which translates to “the brotherhood.”
The group’s primary mission is to establish a separate sovereign Islamic state governed by Sunni law, according to FBI charging documents. Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, called his followers to an offensive jihad, rather than a defensive jihad.
During the raid, Abdullah, aka Christopher Thomas, fired his weapon, said the FBI in a release. An FBI police dog was shot during the gunfire.
The dog was transported via helicopter to an animal hospital in Madison Heights, but despite the rescue efforts, the dog died.
The rest of the suspects were arrested at the Detroit raid on Tireman and Firwood roads and the Dearborn raid on Michigan Avenue and Miller Road without incident.
Seven of the suspects appeared Wednesday afternoon in a detention hearing. The rest will appear before a judge Thursday.
Before the raid, Abdullah and the 10 others were charged in a complaint with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms, arson, body armor and theft from interstate shipments.
Named in the complaint are Mohammad Abdul Bassir, Muhammad Abdul Salaam, Abdul Saboor, Mujahid Carswell, Abdullah Beard, Mohammad Philistine, Yassir Ali Khan, Adam Hussain Ibraheem, Garry Laverne Porter and Ali Abdul Raqib.
The group consists primarily of those who converted to Islam while serving sentences in various prisons around the county.
The nationwide leader is believed to be Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rapp Brown. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of two police officers in Georgia.
Abdullah Al-Amin preaches violence against law enforcement officials and has trained members of the Ummah inside of a mosque located on Joy Road how to use firearms, martial arts, sword fighting and other types of self-defense in anticipation of government violence, according to the FBI.
Undercover agents in the organization have told the FBI that Luqman Abdullah used to discipline its members starting at an early age by beating them with sticks on their hands, knees and legs and once he beat a little boy so badly that the child was unable to walk for several days.
In October of 2008, a source the FBI called “credible” recorded statements by Abdullah at a mosque during prayer where he said that Muslims need to cut ties with Christians, Jews, and Kuffars, which the FBI said means all non-Muslims.
“Obama is a Kafir. McCain is a Kafir, all the rest of them Kuffars, are Kuffars…. The worst Muslim is better than the best Kafir,” said FBI documents.
At this time, the FBI continues to seek Mujahid Carswell, Mohammad Alsahi and Yassir Ali Khan. Seven of the suspects appeared Wednesday afternoon in a detention hearing. The rest will appear before a judge Thursday.
Before the raid, Abdullah and the 10 others were charged in a complaint with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms, arson, body armor and theft from interstate shipments.
Named in the complaint are Mohammad Abdul Bassir, Muhammad Abdul Salaam, Abdul Saboor, Mujahid Carswell, Abdullah Beard, Mohammad Philistine, Yassir Ali Khan, Adam Hussain Ibraheem, Garry Laverne Porter and Ali Abdul Raqib.
The group consists primarily of those who converted to Islam while serving sentences in various prisons around the county.
The nationwide leader is believed to be Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rapp Brown. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of two police officers in Georgia.
Abdullah Al-Amin preaches violence against law enforcement officials and has trained members of the Ummah inside of a mosque located on Joy Road how to use firearms, martial arts, sword fighting and other types of self-defense in anticipation of government violence, according to the FBI.
Undercover agents in the organization have told the FBI that Luqman Abdullah used to discipline its members starting at an early age by beating them with sticks on their hands, knees and legs and once he beat a little boy so badly that the child was unable to walk for several days.
In October of 2008, a source the FBI called “credible” recorded statements by Abdullah at a mosque during prayer where he said that Muslims need to cut ties with Christians, Jews, and Kuffars, which the FBI said means all non-Muslims.
“Obama is a Kafir. McCain is a Kafir, all the rest of them Kuffars, are Kuffars…. The worst Muslim is better than the best Kafir,” said FBI documents.
At this time, the FBI continues to seek Mujahid Carswell, Mohammad Alsahi and Yassir Ali Khan.