Terror plot suspect worked in the Loop

February 22, 2006 (WLS) -- One of the suspects now charged with plotting terrorist attacks against US troops once lived in Chicago and operated a mysterious company. Marwan el-Hindi and two other men were arrested Tuesday in Ohio.

The arrests mark the first time anyone in this country has been charged with trying to aid the Iraqi enemy. ABC7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie has new details on the Chicago connection.

The three men are charged with scheming to build roadside bombs and explosive vests for suicide bombers. Federal authorities say the suspects planned to train terrorists to use them on American soldiers overseas.

The leader of the pack is said to be 43-year-old Marwan el-Hindi. The intelligence on Hindi leads straight to Chicago's southwest suburbs.

FBI agents say el-Hindi intended to train a pair of terror operatives in Chicago how to strap on suicide bombs.

When federal authorities announced the charges Tuesday, the indictment merely referred to "two of el-Hindi's training recruits in Chicago." The Chicago connection to el-Hindi and the other two suspects arrested in Ohio was unclear.

But Wednesday, the I-Team has learned from voter registration records that el-Hindi lived in a Hickory Hills apartment building, 8440 Commons Drive, in the late 1990s.

The FBI says that was a time when Chicago was fast becoming a fundraising center for Islamic radicals. El-Hindi had come to the US from his native country of Jordan and had become an American citizen.

While living in Chicago, el-Hindi worked in the Loop operating a company called Royal International. According to state records obtained by the I-Team and signed by el-Hindi, Royal International was a "travel agency." The company was located in an eighth floor downtown until moving out about a year ago.

El-Hindi's lawyer says he has never heard of the Chicago company but fears his client is being smeared.

"When you have a Muslim charged with a crime and there is some implication of terrorism, the first thing that the public thinks is guilty," said Steve Hartman, el-Hindi's attorney.

El-Hindi was in business in Chicago with Rafil Dhafir, according to state records. Dhafir is a New York doctor and the only person ever convicted of breaking the Iraqi trade sanctions. He is now serving a 22 year federal sentence for siphoning thousands of dollars illegally to Iraq.

Dhafir and el-Hindi both listed an Oak Lawn home as their residence. No one answered the door Wednesday, but by phone the owner said he had never heard of either man.

El-Hindi is now behind bars in Milan, Michigan, awaiting a Friday detention hearing.

"He has a wife here and seven children, and this is tremendously difficult for them," said Hartman, el-Hindi's attorney.

What about the two Chicago terrorists in training who were noted in the indictment? An FBI spokesman in Chicago says they know who the two men are and that even though they have not been charged, they should not be considered a threat to anyone in the area.

You can see the ABC7 report by clicking on the video icon above.  You will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to view this video. You can get it FREE by clicking here. NOTE: Video clips will only be available for 5-days from the date they were created. ALSO: Video clips will play in a separate window on Mac OS X machines, you may also see a video help screen.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•