Man arrested for threatening Ferguson police may have ties to radical group lauded by CAIR

A Washington State man arrested for issuing interstate threats targeting Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson may have ties to the radical Islamist group known as “Al-Ummah” led by Jamil Abdullah Amin and Luqman Abdullah, two radical imams recently lauded by a Council on American Islamic Relations representative on a phone conference for the Muslims for Ferguson group as reported by Fox News.

Jaleel Tariq Abdul-Jabber, a Kirkland, Washington man and former convicted felon, was arrested for allegedly threatening to murder police in connection to ongoing protests in Ferguson, Missouri. Abdul-Jabber, whose social media profile indicates that he self-identifies as a Muslim, reportedly wrote numerous threats targeting Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson, as well as other law enforcement officers. According to press reports the complaint alleges that Abdul-Jabber engaged in making “interstate threats,” including:

“Then we can find where that cop’s child goes to school at and hope that the same can be returned back to that white [racial slur],” he allegedly wrote according to the charging documents. On Aug. 30, Abdul-Jabbaar allegedly reposted a news report claiming video surveillance contradicted the official story of what had happened during the Ferguson shooting, writing “we really need to start killing the police.” Other messages and posts included “I would love to smoke a white motha [expletive] cop,” as well as “We the oppressed people need to kill this white cop” along with a repost of a news story containing Wilson’s address. On Nov. 11, Abdul-Jabbaar allegedly wrote “Are there any REAL BLACK MEN that would love to go down to Ferguson Missouri to give back those bullets to Police Officer [D.W.] fired into the body of Mike Brown. If we’re unable to locate Officer [D.W.], then We’ll return them to his wife and if not her then his children.”

In response to a news article relating the story of two FBI agents shot while serving a warrant in Ferguson, Abdul-Jabber wrote, “this is how you put your work in, thats what the f*** I’m talk’n about.”

“Put in work” is a slang term often used to refer to engaging in illegal or criminal activity, typically on behalf of a crew or gang.

Abdul-Jabber’s social media profile indicates he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the groups joined by Abdul-Jabber on Facebook is a Philadelphia Mosque, the Majilis Ashura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, which was a co-sponsor of a 2011 event entitled “A CONVERSATION ON THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF IMAM JAMIL ABDULLAH AL-AMIN — The former H. Rap Brown.”  A Facebook page established for Imam Jamil Abdullah Amin lists Abdul-Jabber as a friend, while Abdul-Jabber’s Facebook friends list has apparently been purged. A post on the Majilis Ashura Facebook page from November 5th of this year features a youtube video posted by one of the Masjid’s Imams, showing young men conducting firearms drills.

Additionally,Majilis Ashura also lists on its website a connection to the Jawala Scouts, an Islamic paramilitary youth group, which engages in firearms training, survival skills, and hand to hand combat training. A Facebook page established for the Jawala Scouts lists Abdul-Jabber as a friend. The Jawala Scouts are associated with Luqman Al-Haq, aka Kenny Gamble, being registered at the same physical space as his Universal Muslim Movement. Gamble is a famed former musician, but also known for allegedly attempting to create a Muslim-only enclave in Philadelphia. Gamble sits on the board of the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA), together with the (now deceased) Luqman Abdullah, and Jamil Abdullah Amin was instrumental in the founding of MANA according to webpage dedicated to Amin:

Last month, on a balmy, spring day in Philadelphia, 18 Muslim leaders met and resolved to further the process of establishing a new national organization–the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA). The purpose of MANA as stated in its mission statement is to pursue an agenda that reflects the points of view and experiences of the indigenous Muslims of North America and one that addresses their needs and aspirations. The effort to form an alliance for indigenous Muslims is not new. MANA is merely part of the continuing struggle to unite Muslims in America. However, this particular initiative began almost two years ago when Imam Jamil Al-Amin made a call for the formation of such an alliance.

In addition to his support for Al-Amin, and ties to the paramilitary Jawala Scouts linked to Gamble, on November 28th, Abdul-Jabbar shared a link to the CAIR-Washington Chapter  Facebook Page discussing CAIR efforts to encourage Muslims not to talk to Federal Law Enforcement. A similar story, also by CAIR, was shared on the Muslims for Ferguson Facebook group on the same day that the call discussed the FBI shooting which killed Imam Luqman Abdullah.

Although there is no immediate evidence to suggest that Abdul-Jabber was a participant in the Muslims for Ferguson phone conference (he is not listed as a supporter on the group’s facebook page, although several other members of the Masjid Ashura of Philadelphia facebook group were), there is reason to suspect that Abdul-Jabber may have some connection to the Al-Ummah group. The possibility that Abdul-Jabber may have ties to a group training for future conflict with law enforcement deserved deeper investigation by the appropriate authorities.

The threat of violence from radicalized elements in the African American Muslim community remains present. As we have previously reported, Zale Thompson –who was shot and killed while attacking NYPD officers with a hatchet- also expressed support for the Al-Ummah Imam by featuring multiple Jamil Abdullah Amin videos in a youtube video playlist linked to his account.

Given the willingness and ability of Al-Amin followers to engage in violence, CAIR’s efforts to link Al-Ummah leader Luqman Abdullah with the Ferguson protests continues to represent a very real potential threat to the safety of local, state and federal law enforcement.