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Father defends son against terrorism charges, cites faith in the system

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 22, 2009 05:03 PM

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent, and Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

The heartbroken father of the Sudbury man facing federal terrorism charges defended his son today, rebutting accusations that his son could turn to violence.

Ahmed Mehanna, the father of 27-year-old Tarek Mehanna, cited his son’s moral upbringing in denying the terrorism allegations.

“I can not say anything about the case, but he’s my son, I know his character, I know that he cannot hurt a fly,” Ahmed said in an interview in the living room of his family’s Sudbury home.

Tarek Mehanna was arrested Wednesday on a federal complaint of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. According to court records, Mehanna had schemed with two other men to wage an armed assault on a shopping mall, but scrapped that plan. They also tried to join terrorist groups in the Middle East, prosecutors said, and they had downloaded jihad videos and endorsed terrorist attacks on Americans and non-believers.

Mehanna, who recently earned a doctorate at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, had already been facing a federal charge of lying to investigators in a terrorism investigation. Those investigators were asking about his ties to Daniel Maldonado, a former Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty two years ago to undergoing terrorism training in Somalia. He is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence.

Ahmed Mehanna said FBI agents were respectful when arresting his son Wednesday, even allowing him to have his dawn prayer with his family before being taken into custody. But since Tarek appeared in federal court Wednesday, he has not been allowed to contact him.

“We don’t know where he is,” the father said. “But it’s part of my faith in the system that he will not be mistreated.”

He said he did have faith in the American justice system. ”I do, that’s my only hope, after God, of course, after God,” he said. “And the due process should reveal the truth.”

Meanwhile, the Worcester Islamic Center, where Mehanna has recently prayed, released a statement today saying the Muslim community in New England was "in a state of shock at the recent allegations against Tarek Mehanna.”

“As Muslims, we condemn the planning or committing of any acts of violence,” the statement said. “We are particularly horrified by the prospect of random violence against ourselves, our friends, and our neighbors in public areas.”

Alhuda Academy, a school in Worcester where Mehanna taught, also released a statement saying, “We would like to take this opportunity to condemn all violence perpetrated or contemplated against innocent civilians. This condemnation is required by our faith as Muslims, and our every experience with Tarek Mehanna suggests to us that he shared this belief.”

Mehanna, who recently took the state board of pharmacy exam, said he was planning to move to Saudi Arabia to work as a pharmacist when he was initially arrested last November. He has since been confined to his family’s home under court order. He recently adopted a kitten, named Asal, the Arabic word for honey.