Bombing Suspect Tried to Have Imam Fired
Charles Johnson
Mon Aug 1, 2005 at 9:44 am PDT • Views: 241
As more information comes out about the London bombing suspects, one thing is obvious: they were not hiding their intentions. Bomber tried to have imam sacked for opposing terrorism. (Hat tip: Amy.)
THE man suspected of being responsible for the failed Oval bombing was a hardline Muslim who harangued fellow worshippers and tried to get the imam at his mosque sacked for preaching against terrorism.
Ramzi Mohammed, who was arrested on Friday in west London in connection with the failed July 21 bomb attacks, repeatedly threatened the imam because he held moderate views. He was part of a small gang thought to be members of Al-Muhajiroun, the extreme Islamist organisation, who prayed separately from other worshippers at the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in North Kensington. Among them was his brother Wahbi, 22, who is being questioned about a rucksack bomb discarded near Wormwood Scrubs in west London.
Ahmed Dahdouh, the imam of the mosque, said the Mohammed brothers were known for their radicalism. He said he was abused by them on several occasions. They called him an “infidel” and “apostate”.
“Ramzi and his brother used to come here in the mosque. There were four or five of them in the group. They caused a lot of trouble,” said Dahdouh.
“They used to pray on their own as they used to think we were not proper Muslims. In one of my Friday sermons I once said that Islam forbids terrorism. I recall Ramzi later came up to me and told me, ‘Why did you say that? It’s wrong.’
“He was angry with me. He tried to get me sacked because I disagreed with them.”
Frank says: