An article out today in the NYTimes describes the exploits and background of a young Muslim Bangladeshi American who is a deep-cover NYPD officer (thanks to a tipster on the NEWS tab). This is like Donnie Brasco meets 21 Jump Street meets Alias.
A young police detective testified yesterday at the Herald Square bombing plot trial that he was recruited from the Police Academy 13 months after 9/11 to work deep undercover in the Muslim community to investigate Islamic extremists.The detective, a Muslim who came to America from Bangladesh when he was 7, testified that he was a 23-year-old college graduate when he was plucked from the academy in October 2002. He took an apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where, he testified, his assignment was to be a “walking camera” among Muslims there.
He said he had no regular contact with the department other than through his handler, to whom he reported by e-mail at first. During two years of living in Bay Ridge, he was involved in “numerous” investigations, he testified, and was at times shadowed by a field team to ensure his safety. [Link]
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p>They seriously need to make this into a movie if they haven’t already started. The existence of this undercover agent came to light at the Herald Square bombing plot trial in which a U.S. citizen and a Pakistani national are accused of plotting to bomb a subway station in New York. More about the detective now:
The detective testified that he graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and entered the Police Academy in July 2002. In the middle of October, roughly halfway through his academy training, he left early when he was recruited to join the Intelligence Division, where he was assigned to the Special Services Unit, which runs the undercover program.
Within three weeks, according to his testimony, he made his first appearance at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge, a mosque on Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, next door to the Islamic bookstore where Mr. Siraj worked. He testified that he spent time there periodically. Mr. Stolar, while questioning the detective, indicated that his reports showed he had seen Mr. Siraj 72 times over the two years, mostly in the bookstore. [Link]
Wait a minute. Is this for real? I don’t recall there being a show called Law & Order: Special Services Unit.
Here was another interesting bit. During the trial the UC was asked about suicide bombings during cross examination and he didn’t seem to know what they were:
Mr. Stolar [the defendants attorney] seemed incredulous. “You had never before heard of suicide bombings taking place in Israel?” he asked.
“I grew up with a very peaceful religion,” the detective responded. “All of these comments — radical beliefs — came to me when I took this assignment.” He added: “Where in Islam does it say you can blow up a train station?”… [Link]
Suicide bombing? Fogetta Bout it.
Incidentally, earlier this week Muslim organizations as well as the ACLU pressed for information about the existence of any surveillance of Muslims in the Los Angeles area:
Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union asked the FBI on Monday to release documents detailing any post-Sept. 11 surveillance of Southern California mosques and Muslims.
Local Islamic leaders said they enlisted the ACLU’s help after the FBI provided little information in response to their allegations that the agency was monitoring them and their places of worship. They say some Muslims are afraid to go to mosques because they fear government monitoring…<
p>Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said numerous Muslims reported being questioned by the FBI about their religious practices and sermons given during prayer services.
The ACLU filed the request under the federal Freedom of Information Act on behalf of individual Muslims and six Islamic groups, including the Shura Council, an Anaheim-based federation of more than 60 mosques, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group whose Southern California chapter is also in Anaheim. [Link]
FBI Technician: What’s “forgetaboutit?” Donnie Brasco: “Forgetaboutit” is like if you agree with someone, you know, like “Raquel Welsh is one great piece of ass forget about it.” But then, if you disagree, like “A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it!” you know? But then, it’s also like if something’s the greatest thing in the world, like Mingrio’s Peppers, “forget about it.” But it’s also like saying “Go to hell!” too. Like, you know, like “Hey Paulie, you got a one inch pecker?” and Paulie says “Forget about it!” Sometimes it just means forget about it.
This is something that’s been going on in the NYPD for a long time. My ex used to be a NYPD detective and I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories. And desis are way up there simply because they are such overachievers. There was a huge corruption scandal with local Guyanese shop owners and precinct cops in Richmond Hill about two years ago I think; and the guy who blew open the scandal from the inside was a very good friend of mine who is now a Lieutenant.
Two top narcotics detectives in the NYPD in the Bushwick/Flatbush precincts in Brooklyn is a pair of desis, Punjabi husband and wife! Unfortunately all of these are people that cannot be spoken of publicly because it would compromise their situations so they continue to operate under the radar. But desis have made quite a bit of strides in the law enforcement front as well.
Personally I think it’s disgusting that this guy’s cover has blown and the NYTimes of all people has chosen to post his picture and his name and details. Considering what some of these guys do in the name of duty/country (and it is NEVER for the money) it’s heartbreaking to me to think of how unsafe things could possibly be for him.
Ditto
Triple ditto.
An undercover agent (especially one who’s not hostile to the culture he’s covering) is a far far better thing than illegal wiretaps, mass arrests, politicized deportations and all the other shit that’s been going down.
Dawud Brasco’s done his country a great service but, hey, tell it to Valerie Plame.
This effing country.
hang on you guys, read the article. they didn’t “blow his cover.” it’s a public, federal trial, and the statements made in the course of testimony are a matter of public record. from the article:
so what information was provided was the result of back-and-forth between the prosecution and defense and ultimately the judge ruling. the new york times is reporting these facts. nowhere is the brother’s real name used. y’all are blaming the messenger.
besides, undercover operations don’t last forever. maybe the police decided they’d achieved enough with this brother? it’s all tactical choices.
peace
Sounds exactly like the plot of Sleeper Cell on Showtime, except that this is local NYPD and the undercover on the show was a federal agent.
I don’t see why they have to blow this guy’s cover and put him on the stand. Some courts have remote presence systems that allow a person to participate in a court proceeding without having to transport them from the prison. Someone could easily be questioned by the defense lawyers without revealing his identity. Why do we afford that luxury to convicts and not to undercover agents? Or how about putting the “handler” on the stand instead on the agent’s behalf?
fyi: from what I read and understood, the picture is that of the defendant, NOT the detective. Also, the article never mentions his name.
Sid, My bad, you are right. I apologize. I thought the picture they had in that inset of 3 guys was the officer because it said “informant” on it.
FYI…the below was my line of thinking though originally I thought they had posted his picture. DJ88 thanx for saying it more lucidly.
Uh, yea, ditto. Again.
🙁
a true patriot. my hat’s off to him.
This scares no one?
The ACLU must approve of the way in which the Federal Air Marshal program is being run…
The ACLU has no clue when it comes to many things. This is just the latest
Today’s headline news was that the U.S. government’s wiretapping of millions of Americans was legal. Anybody remember Senator Joseph McCarthy and McCarthysm? Dawood Brasco indeed!