Was Antonio Martinez entrapped? Father-in-law claims FBI worked to keep bombing suspect separate from community

Abu, as he is affectionately called, was the closest friend and father-in-law of Muhammad Hussain – the 21-year-old Muslim convert picked up last month in an FBI sting operation in Catonsville Maryland.   At an arraignment on January 7th, Hussain pleaded not guilty.  It is expected his defense will cite entrapment, a claim that has not held up in court for any of the dozens of other similar recent terror cases.

“I love Muhammad [Hussain] like my son,” admits Abu, describing him as a quiet yet polite “kid,” inspired and passionate about his new way of life. Hussain would spend most nights at Abu's home while sorting out tensions with his mother who had not approved of his decision to embrace Islam. 

Hussain, born Antonio Martinez, allegedly attempted to detonate a bomb at an Armed Forces recruitment station on December 8th 2010, and is now facing charges of attempted murder of federal officers and employees and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property.  The bomb was fake, and the two men Hussain allegedly thought were co-conspirators turned out to be  undercover agents.  One was a Confidential Human Source (CHS), an undercover member of the Muslim community Hussain belonged to tasked with long-term intelligence gathering, and the other an FBI agent.

The case follows a number of other high-profile terrorism cases in the United States that closely involved undercover agents aiding the suspects in planning and executing their attempted attacks.  The tactic has been criticized by some, particularly Muslims and civil rights advocates, as akin to entrapment, and is similar to the historical FBI programs against black liberationists in the 60's and 70's.

In a recent press release, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), acknowledges the importance of an internal effort on behalf of the Muslim Community to root out extremism. But MPAC also maintains that the Muslim community has reason for concern. “Since 9/11, the U.S. Attorney General's standards regulating informants and sting operations have essentially allowed investigations of communities without requiring any evidence to show a particular person is in the process of committing a crime.”

According to the FBI's December 8th, 2010 Criminal Complaint, two postings by Hussain on his Facebook wall prompted a CHS to seek assistance from the FBI in early October 2010.  An investigation was opened and the CHS began regularly communicating with Hussain. Within two weeks, Hussain had allegedly gone from expressing a desire to engage in combat abroad, to believing God wanted him to launch a domestic attack against Military personnel.  At one point, as the FBI alleges Hussain was driving with the CHS and passed by the recruitment station that would eventually become their target.  By the time the CHS began recording their conversations, Hussain was allegedly set on the recruiting station as a target.  Over the next few weeks, the pair would approach a number of other community members for support, but was repeatedly rebuffed. 

Eventually the CHS recommended Hussain seek the aid of an “Afghani brother”, who was experienced in these kinds of actions.  The man, who was in fact an undercover FBI agent, would become Hussain's mentor, someone whom he would admire.  When the undercover agent expressed concerns about their plan being infiltrated by the FBI, Hussain assured him that it is important to have trust in fellow Muslims.

Abu, who introduced Hussain to his daughter for marriage in June, paints a picture of a young convert to Islam, dismayed by what he saw as political complacency in the community of Muslims around him. “He glamorized fighting”, says Abu, a conservative Muslim who rejects and condemns the killing of civilians on American and foreign soil.

The likelihood of Hussain committing violence on his own without the aid of undercover agents is an open question.  Some contend that he would have been violent with or without any motivation from the informants, based on a history of violence, which includes two convictions for theft prior to his conversion to Islam.  Others are critical of the FBI's tactic and contend that if left alone, Hussain would have developed relationships with other Muslims, and found peaceful avenues for his desire to help others in standing against the perceived oppression of Muslims abroad.

Abu does not believe Hussain would have taken to the path of violence if the FBI informants had not approached him. Abu claims that Islamic scholarship is clear in opposition to unjust war and “it's only those websites that make blanket statements about all non-Muslims and Americans” that attract impressionable young Muslims already geared toward violence. Hussain “delved deep into Islam online,” often watching videos that glorify foreign fighters. According to Abu, a new Muslim does not have the ability to distinguish between credible and illegitimate sources online, and he therefore admits to Hussain's extreme views in regards to political matters.

He points out however, that “I don't think Muhammad [Hussain] was necessarily so convinced initially, nor would he have been convinced on his own to hold that view. He was looking for some camaraderie... people who hold that kind of opinion, someone that he could talk to, because all of the Muslims that he met – young and old,  this country, that country– just didn't have that take on the situation.” In Abu's thought, by posing as practicing and extreme Muslims with similar views to those found online regarding jihad, the FBI confirmed the extreme views that Hussain would have likely never found supporters for in the mainstream Muslim community.

“I knew he was associating with somebody that I didn't know – and that in and of itself didn't sit well with me.”, Abu says.  “He wanted to keep me away from them [the FBI], and I'm sure they wanted to stay away from me.”  He recalls the youth receiving phone calls at strange times, and recounts a number of times, unsuccessfully, that he attempted to meet Hussain's friends.

“These kids don't have any opportunity for getting or making bombs - the FBI did it all,” he says. Abu admits to the fact that there exist a minority of capable extremists dedicated to violence amongst the community, and instead encourages the Government to “set up a sting operation to go after those people [who really have the means and desire to do harm] and stop going after these ignorant children.”

But Abu does not reserve criticism purely for the Government. “I really am hurt and I really am angry,” he shares. “I'm angry at Muhammad [Hussain], but I'm also angry at myself. I saw different signs and I should have been more diligent in my interference.”   On multiple occasions, Abu approached Hussain due to his suspicion, though admittedly not enough. “Hindsight is always 20/20,” he says.

“He doesn't know much about Islam  and he's a prime target... he's hanging out with some people that I don't know, and all I do know is that they've got some mentality about jihad which is probably why he's hanging out with them. So I warned him.”

On another occasion, Abu thought it may be helpful to bring Hussain's wife to town and remind him that he has a family.  Weeks before the attempted attack, Abu contacted Hussain's mother to talk about his concerns.  But out of fear of seeming too “overbearing” to a “young but grown man,” he stepped back. Abu leans back, and admits his own feelings of guilt: “I'm mad at myself for not praying more for his guidance.”

Perhaps in a message to others who find themselves in a similar situation, he admits, “I warned him and backed up. I should have warned him and been more in his face.” Abu says that if he believed Hussain was going to commit violence and there was nothing he could do to stop him, he would have contacted the authorities himself.

Abu reserves ultimate blame for his son-in-law and friend, Hussain – who he maintains as a well-intended yet naive new Muslim caught in a trap – who now sits behind bars awaiting his trial. He had “enough warnings” from community leaders and recent news stories of similar sting operations and should have realized this plot was not only immoral and contradictory to the rulings of Islam, but doomed to end in arrest.

He ends: “As the old folk used to say: 'you made your bed, now you have to lay in it.'”