1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,000 I was never good at being no 2 00:00:22,830 --> 00:00:24,546 type of scam artist. This is the first time in my 3 00:00:24,570 --> 00:00:26,530 life I’m ever really trying to run a scam. 4 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,806 They got convicted on not what they were able to do but 5 00:00:28,830 --> 00:00:31,776 what they were able to say. The question is, are they 6 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,846 willing to commit these acts? My mind can’t see that it’s 7 00:00:34,870 --> 00:00:37,276 the feds that’s pulling the strings. 8 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:40,446 They gave who they thought to be an Al-Qaeda operative exactly 9 00:00:40,470 --> 00:00:43,346 what he had asked for. They had no money. They had 10 00:00:43,370 --> 00:00:45,970 no weapons. They weren’t even Islamic extremists. 11 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:13,346 (car door closes) What time is it? 12 00:01:13,370 --> 00:01:21,370 6:48. I think he's just gonna be so 13 00:01:24,170 --> 00:01:28,100 happy to be a free man. So happy to see his children. 14 00:01:29,970 --> 00:01:33,676 Oh, man. Damn, boy... 15 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:39,776 (indistinct) 13 years ago, my face was 16 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,746 all over the news media. The FBI told me I was on "Larry 17 00:01:42,770 --> 00:01:44,546 King Live" the day I was arrested. 18 00:01:44,570 --> 00:01:47,046 All right, let me get one more hug from everybody. 19 00:01:47,070 --> 00:01:50,276 Now, I'm just the average person walking down the street. 20 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:53,076 ♪ ♪ This what took place 21 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:56,406 because of bad choices of words that he made. 22 00:01:56,430 --> 00:02:00,476 And that's all he ever did was say... speak, talk. 23 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:05,706 Nonsense. Batiste intended to recruit 24 00:02:05,730 --> 00:02:08,876 and supervise individuals to organize and train for a mission 25 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:11,706 of war against the United States. 26 00:02:11,730 --> 00:02:15,946 Narseal, he had good intentions, but he is also a 27 00:02:15,970 --> 00:02:20,706 good conman. And when the two run afoul, 28 00:02:20,730 --> 00:02:24,476 this is what you get... mayhem. Federal authorities described 29 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:26,776 the group as radical Black Muslims. 30 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:31,006 Their goal was simple: to commit attacks against America. 31 00:02:31,030 --> 00:02:33,476 Just like the gang that couldn't shoot straight, they 32 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:36,046 got convicted on not what they were able to do, but what they 33 00:02:36,070 --> 00:02:38,106 were able to say. Six to eight people are now 34 00:02:38,130 --> 00:02:41,346 in federal custody after allegedly plotting to attack 35 00:02:41,370 --> 00:02:44,276 well-known U.S. cities. The federal government is 36 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:47,976 calling this bust a major victory on the domestic front in 37 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,706 this shadowy war. Next to being a pedophile, a 38 00:02:50,730 --> 00:02:53,346 terrorist is the next-worst thing you can be. 39 00:02:53,370 --> 00:02:57,046 Narseal Batiste claimed his soldiers would, quote, "Kill all 40 00:02:57,070 --> 00:03:00,106 the devils we can." An FBI informant promised 41 00:03:00,130 --> 00:03:05,106 them $50,000 if they pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda. 42 00:03:05,130 --> 00:03:07,246 Federal Bureau of Investigation, they invented 43 00:03:07,270 --> 00:03:10,746 the players, they invented the theme, they invented how it was 44 00:03:10,770 --> 00:03:13,376 gonna go down... they, they wrote this script. 45 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:17,046 They wrote this script. They conducted surveillance, 46 00:03:17,070 --> 00:03:20,406 they conspired to murder countless Americans through 47 00:03:20,430 --> 00:03:23,246 attacks that would be in their words "just as good or 48 00:03:23,270 --> 00:03:26,206 greater than 9/11." It can be just as good or 49 00:03:26,230 --> 00:03:29,546 greater than 9/11. This is not the case that 50 00:03:29,570 --> 00:03:32,276 they want America to see. There are, there are some 51 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:34,376 serious terrorists out there that America needs to be 52 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,776 concentrating on. This right here was just a... 53 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,776 It was almost like a, "Let's do a dry run. 54 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,146 If we can convict somebody as lazy and sorry as this crew was, 55 00:03:44,170 --> 00:03:52,170 then we can convict anybody." ♪ ♪ 56 00:04:00,230 --> 00:04:08,230 (engine running) ♪ ♪ 57 00:04:11,670 --> 00:04:16,146 In 2005, I was the acting supervisory special agent with 58 00:04:16,170 --> 00:04:20,030 the FBI in Miami. The domestic Al-Qaeda squad. 59 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,906 I was born in the Bronx, my brother and I. 60 00:04:27,930 --> 00:04:32,746 Both my parents became addicted to heroin. 61 00:04:32,770 --> 00:04:36,130 Which wasn't very unusual for that period in American history. 62 00:04:38,230 --> 00:04:41,506 My father had been arrested a few times. 63 00:04:41,530 --> 00:04:43,976 He was involved in a credit card ring. 64 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,476 Another time, he was arrested for, uh, narcotics. 65 00:04:46,500 --> 00:04:49,476 Coming from that experience, you're always looking for an 66 00:04:49,500 --> 00:04:51,846 angle because everybody has a hustle. 67 00:04:51,870 --> 00:04:55,676 ♪ ♪ So I graduate high school. 68 00:04:55,700 --> 00:05:00,176 How, I don't know, but I did. Spent nine years in the 69 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,246 military, went to school at night, and then I put in an 70 00:05:04,270 --> 00:05:10,046 application with the FBI. FBI calls nine months later and 71 00:05:10,070 --> 00:05:13,476 I end up at Quantico. (indistinct chatter) 72 00:05:13,500 --> 00:05:17,946 Got out in '92, ended up in Miami, and you wake up and ten 73 00:05:17,970 --> 00:05:24,776 years have gone by. And then 9/11 happens. 74 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,946 On September 10, if we would have saw a movie on the 75 00:05:28,970 --> 00:05:32,076 events that happened on September 11, we all would have 76 00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:35,276 left that movie theater and said, "That is a phenomenal 77 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:38,006 movie, but it could never happen in the United States." 78 00:05:38,030 --> 00:05:44,276 And on September 11, it did. And what did they use? 79 00:05:44,300 --> 00:05:48,746 They didn't use bombs or weapons, they used box cutters 80 00:05:48,770 --> 00:05:55,376 and, and complacency. We got sucker-punched. 81 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,946 On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an 82 00:05:59,970 --> 00:06:03,946 act of war against our country. The evidence we have gathered 83 00:06:03,970 --> 00:06:08,046 all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist 84 00:06:08,070 --> 00:06:13,470 organizations known as Al-Qaeda. (applause) 85 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:17,606 Director Robert Mueller had been the director of the FBI for 86 00:06:17,630 --> 00:06:22,406 one week prior to 9/11. He went to brief President Bush. 87 00:06:22,430 --> 00:06:25,176 Within a minute of telling the president, vice president, and 88 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,506 others, uh, about the 19 hijackers that we'd already 89 00:06:28,530 --> 00:06:31,046 learned about and everything, President Bush cut him off and 90 00:06:31,070 --> 00:06:34,346 said, "That's all well and, and good, Mr. Director, but I wanna 91 00:06:34,370 --> 00:06:37,276 know what the FBI is doing to prevent the next attack." 92 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:41,306 Director Mueller's job was then to take that mission, to take 93 00:06:41,330 --> 00:06:46,246 the FBI from that reactive crime-solving agency to a 94 00:06:46,270 --> 00:06:48,246 preventative national security agency. 95 00:06:48,270 --> 00:06:54,646 Mr. Pistole, with respect to preventing 9/11, obviously, you 96 00:06:54,670 --> 00:06:58,006 get a failing grade. So, the concern within the 97 00:06:58,030 --> 00:07:01,846 FBI immediately after 9/11 is that there were other either 98 00:07:01,870 --> 00:07:05,306 sleeper cells or there were other terrorist operatives in 99 00:07:05,330 --> 00:07:07,646 the U.S. And who else did they have 100 00:07:07,670 --> 00:07:10,646 positioned to commit a second attack? 101 00:07:10,670 --> 00:07:14,046 And what, how that attack might manifest itself. 102 00:07:14,070 --> 00:07:17,576 We didn't know. Because there was a gap, uh, in 103 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,076 the intelligence about what attacks might be taking place. 104 00:07:22,100 --> 00:07:25,376 We realized, there are huge gaps that we didn't know the 105 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,706 answers to. One of the, the good things 106 00:07:29,730 --> 00:07:34,776 about the FBI's history was the ability to identify and develop 107 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,206 cooperating witnesses and informants. 108 00:07:38,230 --> 00:07:41,776 So, in the decade after 9/11, let's say, there was a great 109 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,576 focus on developing human sources of information about 110 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:51,206 attacks, potential attacks. We would get a tremendous 111 00:07:51,230 --> 00:07:55,476 amount of intelligence in the form of leads. 112 00:07:55,500 --> 00:07:59,630 Now, it's post-9/11, so each one of these has to be shaken out. 113 00:08:02,130 --> 00:08:06,276 One of my colleagues comes in and he says, "Look, I have some 114 00:08:06,300 --> 00:08:11,076 information, um, from an informant that there's a group 115 00:08:11,100 --> 00:08:15,646 of guys in Miami, in, in Liberty City, that are conducting 116 00:08:15,670 --> 00:08:20,576 military training, that are interested in overthrowing the 117 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:26,306 U.S. government, um, and that wanna meet Al-Qaeda." 118 00:08:26,330 --> 00:08:30,176 ♪ ♪ This was, you know, like a 119 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,676 unicorn. How does Al-Qaeda pop up in 120 00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:39,646 Liberty City? (indistinct chatter) 121 00:08:39,670 --> 00:08:44,176 Some areas were high drug- trafficking areas, and there 122 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:49,606 were shoot-outs all the time. The group were part of this 123 00:08:49,630 --> 00:08:55,976 hybrid religious-militant organization. 124 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:01,106 They do military-type training, they do not believe in the laws 125 00:09:01,130 --> 00:09:03,846 of the United States. They were basically 126 00:09:03,870 --> 00:09:08,006 anti-government. So at this point, we're 127 00:09:08,030 --> 00:09:12,676 assessing the veracity of the informant's information. 128 00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:16,146 The person he was referring to was Narseal Batiste. 129 00:09:16,170 --> 00:09:21,446 (camera shutter clicking) Batiste was the leader. 130 00:09:21,470 --> 00:09:25,646 We're still trying to determine what his motive is. 131 00:09:25,670 --> 00:09:30,406 What is he really up to? (shutter clicks) 132 00:09:30,430 --> 00:09:34,946 I wanted to be an actor. It was interesting to see myself 133 00:09:34,970 --> 00:09:38,170 intrigue people over a character. 134 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,306 I went to modeling school. I had a big interest in 135 00:09:46,330 --> 00:09:49,476 modeling and in acting at the time. 136 00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:52,506 I always loved martial arts. That's just come from watching 137 00:09:52,530 --> 00:09:57,206 Shaolin Temple, kung fu master movies, you know? 138 00:09:57,230 --> 00:10:02,376 Narseal was the baby, he was the last one. 139 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,306 My mother had just had Narseal. She came home from the hospital 140 00:10:06,330 --> 00:10:08,806 and put him in my bed and told me it was my baby. 141 00:10:08,830 --> 00:10:12,376 That she don't change diapers and she don't fix bottle milks. 142 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:18,876 And for me to take care of him. My mom and dad, they did 143 00:10:18,900 --> 00:10:22,546 Baptist preaching. They was ordained Baptists. 144 00:10:22,570 --> 00:10:25,676 At that time, my parents were very wealthy from my dad's 145 00:10:25,700 --> 00:10:28,476 construction company. My dad was doing government jobs 146 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:31,606 like building post offices, colleges, prisons. 147 00:10:31,630 --> 00:10:34,706 So, he really blew up in his construction business. 148 00:10:34,730 --> 00:10:39,806 What changed in Narseal's life, he met this man that wore these 149 00:10:39,830 --> 00:10:44,546 diapers on his head and carried a cane, and his name was 150 00:10:44,570 --> 00:10:48,976 G-G-G something 'thena. He was telling me Narseal's the 151 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,030 33-something of the 76-something, that he's Jesus. 152 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,046 I said, "No, my brother is not Jesus." 153 00:10:56,070 --> 00:10:58,676 Then the next thing I know, my brother start changing. 154 00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:01,630 He start wearing diapers on his head and carrying a staff. 155 00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:06,746 Well, I created my own style of religion. 156 00:11:06,770 --> 00:11:09,876 You know what I mean? My, my robes and what I wore was 157 00:11:09,900 --> 00:11:11,946 very unique. Nobody else on the street wore 158 00:11:11,970 --> 00:11:15,346 what I wore. My style had something like, um, 159 00:11:15,370 --> 00:11:17,946 much more of a martial arts- Egyptian type of mixture 160 00:11:17,970 --> 00:11:20,606 outfit. I wore a lot of velvets and 161 00:11:20,630 --> 00:11:23,176 Indian cotton. Sage rope. 162 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:27,276 A staff in my hand or a rod. That's what I looked like. 163 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:29,906 An ancient type of holy man, looked like I stepped out of the 164 00:11:29,930 --> 00:11:33,906 Bible. Naz, beautiful brother. 165 00:11:33,930 --> 00:11:37,406 Beautiful brother. You see, like, he fell out of 166 00:11:37,430 --> 00:11:39,446 Heaven. You know, he had that innocent 167 00:11:39,470 --> 00:11:43,376 quality to him. And we choose... 168 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,276 (translating to Haitian Creole) 169 00:11:45,300 --> 00:11:47,906 To worship almighty God... (translating) 170 00:11:47,930 --> 00:11:50,706 On this day... (translating) 171 00:11:50,730 --> 00:11:53,576 You are trusting in God. (translating) 172 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,206 I've come here to tell you today. 173 00:11:56,230 --> 00:11:59,346 I was born in the United States, but my mom and dad from 174 00:11:59,370 --> 00:12:05,546 Haiti. 17, 18, I got baptized. 175 00:12:05,570 --> 00:12:08,346 And when I got baptized, I was feeling it, you know. 176 00:12:08,370 --> 00:12:10,876 It was just something on me, I was feeling it. 177 00:12:10,900 --> 00:12:14,846 And by that time in my life, I knew things wasn't fair. 178 00:12:14,870 --> 00:12:17,376 And have power and authority... 179 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,876 When we talk about leaders and who we look up to, you 180 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:25,246 know, we looked up to Naz. 'Cause Naz knew the Bible, he 181 00:12:25,270 --> 00:12:27,876 spoke it, and he really was about it. 182 00:12:27,900 --> 00:12:31,906 As a prophet of God. He grew up, you know, real 183 00:12:31,930 --> 00:12:35,346 close to God. So, we always was searching. 184 00:12:35,370 --> 00:12:38,876 So, when he smiled, you know, it was something that he had that 185 00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:42,276 was almost innocent. You know, he ain't, he wasn't 186 00:12:42,300 --> 00:12:45,946 spoil, spoiled like the rest of us. 187 00:12:45,970 --> 00:12:50,406 ♪ ♪ Naz was perfect. 188 00:12:50,430 --> 00:12:53,776 There was no street in him at all. 189 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,776 I was, like, 19, 18. I was the youngest one out of 190 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,576 everybody, and I, I was still going to night school trying to 191 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,476 graduate... a high school diploma. 192 00:13:04,500 --> 00:13:08,746 Naz was a Black activist. Wanting to help out the 193 00:13:08,770 --> 00:13:11,146 community. (shutter clicks) 194 00:13:11,170 --> 00:13:14,846 That's what you got off the top. (shutter clicks) 195 00:13:14,870 --> 00:13:16,846 He was really... (shutter clicks) 196 00:13:16,870 --> 00:13:19,406 savvy when it came to the Bible. 197 00:13:19,430 --> 00:13:23,876 Decoding it or making the Bible in, in laymen's term, making it 198 00:13:23,900 --> 00:13:26,076 so, the point where I could understand it. 199 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:28,806 He asked me to read a passage or something, he realized I 200 00:13:28,830 --> 00:13:32,976 couldn't read. And then he was, like, "Okay, 201 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,306 it's all right, you can stop right there," and... 202 00:13:36,330 --> 00:13:39,106 Pulled me to the side later, he was, like, "Um, how 203 00:13:39,130 --> 00:13:41,146 old are you?" I was, like, "I'm, like, I'm 204 00:13:41,170 --> 00:13:43,146 19." He's, like, "You really should 205 00:13:43,170 --> 00:13:45,576 work on that, learning how to read." 206 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,706 And I was, like, "Yeah, I know." He's, like, "If you want, I 207 00:13:49,730 --> 00:13:52,706 could help you sometimes." And I said, "Okay, cool." 208 00:13:52,730 --> 00:13:57,306 (shutter clicks) I done introduced Naz to Naudy. 209 00:13:57,330 --> 00:14:01,476 I done introduced Naz to my brother. 210 00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:06,906 Pat knew Sunny. Sunny brought Levi. 211 00:14:06,930 --> 00:14:10,606 Eventually, they did become my followers, they joined the 212 00:14:10,630 --> 00:14:14,206 temple, and they agreed to give me the, um, the head position 213 00:14:14,230 --> 00:14:18,370 as the, uh, the high priest of the temple. 214 00:14:21,630 --> 00:14:24,606 The actual temple was right across the street from a 215 00:14:24,630 --> 00:14:27,930 projects that they call the Pork and Beans projects. 216 00:14:29,270 --> 00:14:32,276 There's a lot of gun selling, drug dealing, and a lot of 217 00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:38,076 violence that goes on. And, um, drive-by shootings. 218 00:14:38,100 --> 00:14:41,406 So we rent the warehouse. But it was supposed to be a 219 00:14:41,430 --> 00:14:46,306 temple. A temple. 220 00:14:46,330 --> 00:14:48,946 We had Bibles, we had Quran, we had certain books, the Hare 221 00:14:48,970 --> 00:14:50,906 Krishna, we had certain books, 'cause... 222 00:14:50,930 --> 00:14:52,746 It was, everybody was welcome to our table... that was the 223 00:14:52,770 --> 00:14:54,576 whole one thing about why we called it the temple. 224 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:56,376 Because what's in a temple, is where you actually get in your 225 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,346 temple and pray. We wasn't Muslims. 226 00:14:59,370 --> 00:15:02,506 But we had to understand the religions of the world and how 227 00:15:02,530 --> 00:15:05,606 they related to the people that we going to talk to. 228 00:15:05,630 --> 00:15:12,506 So, 99%, we studied the Bible. The temple was called Moorish 229 00:15:12,530 --> 00:15:16,976 Science Temple of America and Universal Divine Saviors. 230 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,506 It sounded cool. Naz said, "The whole reason I 231 00:15:20,530 --> 00:15:24,806 came to Miami was to make all of you guys Moorish, Moorish 232 00:15:24,830 --> 00:15:27,600 Americans." I'm, like, "Moorish Americans?" 233 00:15:28,370 --> 00:15:31,246 You may not have heard of the Moorish Nationals. 234 00:15:31,270 --> 00:15:33,776 It comes from a Black religious group that's been around for 235 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,046 nearly a century. Most of its members obey the 236 00:15:37,070 --> 00:15:39,346 law, but not everyone. This man was arrested by 237 00:15:39,370 --> 00:15:42,076 police in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 238 00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:44,946 But his wife claims the arrest was illegal because he is a 239 00:15:44,970 --> 00:15:48,646 member of the Moorish Nation. He has diplomatic immunity. 240 00:15:48,670 --> 00:15:51,406 Why are y'all doing this? He was telling me, um, the 241 00:15:51,430 --> 00:15:55,206 Moorish Science Temple is, like, indigenous people to 242 00:15:55,230 --> 00:15:58,676 America and we have sovereign rights. 243 00:15:58,700 --> 00:16:01,506 And I didn't understand what none of that (bleep) was. 244 00:16:01,530 --> 00:16:06,946 I was, like, "What the (bleep) is sovereign rights?" 245 00:16:06,970 --> 00:16:11,946 What snatch you up is when they tell you you didn't 246 00:16:11,970 --> 00:16:15,506 come over here just on no slave ship. 247 00:16:15,530 --> 00:16:20,576 And the Moorish Science Temple, it mixed Christianity, Judaism, 248 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:26,446 and Islamism all in one. They are geared to help the 249 00:16:26,470 --> 00:16:34,470 Black community. So we sitting down just 250 00:16:36,670 --> 00:16:39,176 building on the Bible and talking about making a great 251 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,606 change, you know, and can we do it, can we actually, you 252 00:16:42,630 --> 00:16:45,806 know, change not just our condition, but the condition of 253 00:16:45,830 --> 00:16:47,870 our moms and dads and cousins and community? 254 00:16:55,830 --> 00:16:57,906 You know, you can't come into the community if you ain't no 255 00:16:57,930 --> 00:17:01,676 strong man. So, we came across, like, "Yo, 256 00:17:01,700 --> 00:17:04,530 we are soldiers." You know, "We soldiers for God." 257 00:17:22,470 --> 00:17:28,906 ♪ ♪ They had uniforms that they 258 00:17:28,930 --> 00:17:32,106 would wear, paramilitary uniforms. 259 00:17:32,130 --> 00:17:35,646 Khaki-type shirt and they would wear the same type of pants. 260 00:17:35,670 --> 00:17:38,846 This is the Moorish star, you know, for the religion. 261 00:17:38,870 --> 00:17:40,946 And then of course, them living in America, they have the 262 00:17:40,970 --> 00:17:43,946 American flag. And what was so ironic about 263 00:17:43,970 --> 00:17:46,506 this whole thing is that the government tried to paint them 264 00:17:46,530 --> 00:17:51,306 as that they were un-American. You know, we brought in 265 00:17:51,330 --> 00:17:54,546 experts to tell us, "Hey, what... 266 00:17:54,570 --> 00:17:56,476 Which, uh, what flavor of Kool-Aid is this, 'cause we 267 00:17:56,500 --> 00:18:03,046 haven't seen this before?" Something is not making sense. 268 00:18:03,070 --> 00:18:07,206 You had a group of guys that were in Liberty City that 269 00:18:07,230 --> 00:18:10,076 wanted to meet somebody from Al-Qaeda. 270 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:12,776 Everything had to be followed up. 271 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:17,106 Because some of the things that fell through the gap that 272 00:18:17,130 --> 00:18:21,776 allowed 9/11 to happen, we could not allow for anything 273 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,200 like that to fall through a gap again. 274 00:18:28,030 --> 00:18:32,630 I had never heard of the informant, Abbas Al-Saidi. 275 00:18:36,770 --> 00:18:40,106 Abbas had worked at a convenience store, you know, 276 00:18:40,130 --> 00:18:45,676 in a medium-to low-income neighborhood. 277 00:18:45,700 --> 00:18:48,906 He started out as a snitch initially for drugs. 278 00:18:48,930 --> 00:18:52,976 New York City has its own intelligence unit, which was 279 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:59,006 focused on terrorism after 9/11. They found this young guy from 280 00:18:59,030 --> 00:19:03,706 Yemen who's pretty street-smart to be somebody that they could 281 00:19:03,730 --> 00:19:07,946 use in their investigation in New York. 282 00:19:07,970 --> 00:19:10,646 At some point in time, there became a threat that they 283 00:19:10,670 --> 00:19:13,376 considered to be a threat against him. 284 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,806 They encouraged him to move out of New York City. 285 00:19:15,830 --> 00:19:19,606 And, and ultimately, he, he moved down to Miami. 286 00:19:19,630 --> 00:19:23,006 I was 18 years old at this time, going on 19. 287 00:19:23,030 --> 00:19:28,046 I just kind of was in love with him and did what he... told 288 00:19:28,070 --> 00:19:30,476 me to do. And I trusted him. 289 00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:34,006 And that was one of my biggest mistakes. 290 00:19:34,030 --> 00:19:37,846 We had three dollars between the both of us and we got into 291 00:19:37,870 --> 00:19:41,746 a really physical argument. He beats the crap out of 292 00:19:41,770 --> 00:19:45,006 Stefanie one day. Uh, ends up in jail. 293 00:19:45,030 --> 00:19:48,606 I had bite marks on my neck, bruises on my face. 294 00:19:48,630 --> 00:19:52,676 Even though it was his first domestic violence, he went to 295 00:19:52,700 --> 00:19:56,276 jail for a couple of months. He kept calling the connections 296 00:19:56,300 --> 00:19:58,406 that he had in New York. He reaches out to the 297 00:19:58,430 --> 00:20:01,406 lieutenant in New York, "Hey, can you help me out, I'm in 298 00:20:01,430 --> 00:20:03,506 jail," yadda yadda, tells him the story. 299 00:20:03,530 --> 00:20:05,746 The guy says, "Look, I can maybe, you know, reach out to 300 00:20:05,770 --> 00:20:08,476 the FBI and see if they might have an interest," and an 301 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:11,146 agent comes and visits him in jail. 302 00:20:11,170 --> 00:20:15,176 He told me that when he came out of jail, that the FBI was 303 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,346 waiting there to go to work. He found the brothers and that's 304 00:20:19,370 --> 00:20:24,506 all he needed to do the job. I used to go to the corner 305 00:20:24,530 --> 00:20:27,246 store and see him all the time. And he was extra-friendly. 306 00:20:27,270 --> 00:20:30,146 He would try to act Black so much. 307 00:20:30,170 --> 00:20:33,446 Smoking weed in the (bleep) store, blasting Tupac. 308 00:20:33,470 --> 00:20:37,706 And I'm, like, damn. I was, like, this dude is wild. 309 00:20:37,730 --> 00:20:40,806 He was, like, "What's up?" I was, like, "Man, what's up?" 310 00:20:40,830 --> 00:20:42,846 I used to go over to the store all the time buying 'gars and 311 00:20:42,870 --> 00:20:45,406 (bleep) to smoke. The weed that he had, the 312 00:20:45,430 --> 00:20:49,076 marijuana he had, was great substance and it was the kind of 313 00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:51,976 substance that I really enjoyed, so my friend that worked there 314 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,806 would get it for me. One day he see me with Naz, 315 00:20:54,830 --> 00:20:57,676 he, like, "Oh, you know the brother!" 316 00:20:57,700 --> 00:21:00,446 And he switched it up, now he's, like, all Muslim and he's, like, 317 00:21:00,470 --> 00:21:03,606 "Yes, brother"... he's not even using it, he's not smoking, he's 318 00:21:03,630 --> 00:21:07,476 not using the N word, he's not cussing, he's all Muslim now. 319 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:10,276 (laughs): He's a Muslim now. I'm, like, "What happened?" 320 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:12,746 He seemed very religious but he seemed very street. 321 00:21:12,770 --> 00:21:17,146 Like, street hustler. So, that's why I related to him 322 00:21:17,170 --> 00:21:21,070 in a sense, because he had game, he had a street vibe. 323 00:21:26,330 --> 00:21:30,506 One day, his cousin comes down, he, like, "Man, y'all 324 00:21:30,530 --> 00:21:34,376 don't wanna mess with Abbas, man," and then, we couldn't get 325 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:38,046 it, 'cause we ain't thinking about no FBI, no police, or... 326 00:21:38,070 --> 00:21:39,946 He, like, "Man, y'all don't wanna mess with him, man, he 327 00:21:39,970 --> 00:21:44,106 dirty." I remember him saying, "Abbas 328 00:21:44,130 --> 00:21:48,106 is working with the police." Now, I was, like, "What?" 329 00:21:48,130 --> 00:21:50,976 He said Abbas was involved in setting people up with law 330 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,906 enforcement. And that if he ever gets a 331 00:21:53,930 --> 00:21:57,770 chance to, he'll fabricate a story on me. 332 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:08,746 That's where we met him. The government said that 333 00:22:08,770 --> 00:22:12,946 when I met Abbas, I went into his store asking him, "Can you 334 00:22:12,970 --> 00:22:16,506 hook me up with Osama bin Laden or any terrorist guy?" 335 00:22:16,530 --> 00:22:18,946 That's what they were saying. And... 336 00:22:18,970 --> 00:22:22,706 Is that true? No, it never happened. 337 00:22:22,730 --> 00:22:27,946 What the informant initially said: "I met a guy who has a 338 00:22:27,970 --> 00:22:30,846 group. They wanna overthrow the United 339 00:22:30,870 --> 00:22:33,976 States, they wanna meet an Al-Qaeda operative, and they 340 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,230 wanna align themselves with Al-Qaeda." 341 00:22:39,170 --> 00:22:42,406 One of the critical capabilities that a terrorist organization 342 00:22:42,430 --> 00:22:45,876 such as Al-Qaeda needs is resources here in the States. 343 00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:51,076 If they could acquire the capability of a U.S. citizen or 344 00:22:51,100 --> 00:22:54,376 a group of U.S. citizens that are completely off the radar, 345 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:58,500 well, that's, that's a pretty formidable threat. 346 00:23:00,630 --> 00:23:03,606 So, at the time, I'm thinking maybe something was 347 00:23:03,630 --> 00:23:08,806 miscommunicated, misunderstood. You know, one of the ways we 348 00:23:08,830 --> 00:23:13,376 resolve that is reconstitute the conversation and capture it on 349 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,806 audio. (tape recorder starts) 350 00:23:15,830 --> 00:23:18,706 This is Special Agent John P. Stewart with the Federal Bureau 351 00:23:18,730 --> 00:23:21,106 of Investigation, Miami Division. 352 00:23:21,130 --> 00:23:28,776 Today's date, October 3, 2005. The time, 2:45 p.m. 353 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,906 (phone calling out) (tape recorder stops) 354 00:23:33,930 --> 00:23:37,346 Hm. It was just one of the worst, 355 00:23:37,370 --> 00:23:41,076 I guess you could say, things that could have ever happened 356 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:44,406 to us in our life. Because this cry from this 357 00:23:44,430 --> 00:23:50,046 man for Narseal to help him turned out actually to be 358 00:23:50,070 --> 00:23:56,630 what actually set everything for us in turmoil. 359 00:23:58,530 --> 00:24:01,146 The turning point between me and Abbas is when I went to the 360 00:24:01,170 --> 00:24:05,706 store, I seen ICE there. Immigration Custom Enforcement. 361 00:24:05,730 --> 00:24:09,406 Abbas was rampaging back and forth in the store, "Brother, 362 00:24:09,430 --> 00:24:11,306 um, I'm in a lot of trouble right now, they, they're 363 00:24:11,330 --> 00:24:14,076 trying to deport me." Of course, being the man that 364 00:24:14,100 --> 00:24:19,906 Narseal is, he would want to help at any given opportunity. 365 00:24:19,930 --> 00:24:23,846 Narseal had told him, "If you need any help, reach out to us." 366 00:24:23,870 --> 00:24:30,146 And of course, he did. (sighs): And then from there 367 00:24:30,170 --> 00:24:32,046 started the nightmare. (tape recorder starts) 368 00:24:32,070 --> 00:24:34,476 (phone calling out) How you doing, brother? 369 00:24:34,500 --> 00:24:37,376 Eid Mubarak. Just working like crazy. 370 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,376 What time, what time exactly are you gonna be at the temple? 371 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,776 Uh, I can't really say right now, 'cause I got so much work 372 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,006 ahead of me today. (tape recorder stops) 373 00:24:46,030 --> 00:24:50,006 The phone calls of him calling me just, just increased. 374 00:24:50,030 --> 00:24:52,576 Instead of being at, like, every two weeks, he'll call me, see 375 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,146 how I'm doing, it was, like, every day. 376 00:24:55,170 --> 00:24:57,506 (tape recorder starts) (phone calling out) 377 00:24:57,530 --> 00:24:59,946 Um, I don't know, if you want me to come over or if you wanna 378 00:24:59,970 --> 00:25:02,606 come over, I'm, I'm, I'm free right now. 379 00:25:02,630 --> 00:25:05,446 They just called me on a job and I have to go look at a job 380 00:25:05,470 --> 00:25:08,746 at the airport, so I'm gonna be leaving in about an hour. 381 00:25:08,770 --> 00:25:10,776 He's saying he needs to meet me right away. 382 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,346 (tape recorder stops) And what was your response? 383 00:25:13,370 --> 00:25:15,306 Uh, as soon as I get a chance to, 'cause I was very busy with 384 00:25:15,330 --> 00:25:17,600 work. With the construction company. 385 00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:26,230 (phone calling out) (voicemail beeps softly) 386 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,446 Azteca Stucco & Masonry. I loved the name Azteca because 387 00:25:33,470 --> 00:25:38,076 of the Aztec, um... Ancient Indians were, uh, 388 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:41,276 master builders, so I adopted that. 389 00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:44,976 (camera shutter clicking) Pat was in the construction 390 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,506 field. Sunny was in the construction 391 00:25:47,530 --> 00:25:50,306 field. Naz was a truck driver. 392 00:25:50,330 --> 00:25:53,476 I was doing security and a little side hustle. 393 00:25:53,500 --> 00:25:59,806 And we needed to make money. Pat was, like, "I have an idea." 394 00:25:59,830 --> 00:26:02,646 We gonna team up and, you know, let's put a small 395 00:26:02,670 --> 00:26:07,106 construction company together. We got the skills, we got the 396 00:26:07,130 --> 00:26:10,176 determination, we got a willingness, and we got... 397 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,606 There's the need. (shutter clicks) 398 00:26:12,630 --> 00:26:17,006 I'm coming home, dead tired, and man, I was happy. 399 00:26:17,030 --> 00:26:20,846 I was, like, "Man, I'm doing something, I'm doing something. 400 00:26:20,870 --> 00:26:23,906 You know, change is coming." (shutter clicking) 401 00:26:23,930 --> 00:26:27,476 It was the first time in my life I was working towards my own 402 00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:29,806 business. My own business. 403 00:26:29,830 --> 00:26:33,006 (shutter clicks) I dived all in, I had all 404 00:26:33,030 --> 00:26:35,276 my cards in the construction game. 405 00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:41,006 Sacrificed weeks without even getting paid, wake up... early, 406 00:26:41,030 --> 00:26:43,506 and go to sleep late. And there's no money on the 407 00:26:43,530 --> 00:26:47,646 table... I'm not getting paid. We had several instances 408 00:26:47,670 --> 00:26:51,076 where we were not getting paid, plus the investment we already 409 00:26:51,100 --> 00:26:54,076 had made into, uh, remodeling the temple. 410 00:26:54,100 --> 00:26:57,100 So we was at a financial... Just rough. 411 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,406 The biggest mistake he was consistently making was using 412 00:27:13,430 --> 00:27:16,006 other job money to cover other job because he underestimated 413 00:27:16,030 --> 00:27:18,446 this job. The number-one rule in 414 00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:20,876 construction: every job pay itself. 415 00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:25,046 You don't use money from another job to cover bills in another 416 00:27:25,070 --> 00:27:33,070 job... that's bad business. I just knew it became very 417 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:43,046 overwhelming for him. Oftentimes he would just not 418 00:27:43,070 --> 00:27:46,006 sleep. Everybody wanted a, a better 419 00:27:46,030 --> 00:27:49,276 way of living, so he felt the pressure of all these families 420 00:27:49,300 --> 00:27:52,200 on him. (shutter clicks) 421 00:27:55,530 --> 00:27:59,376 Test. This is Balan, today's date is 422 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:07,006 11-21-2005. Time is 1:38 p.m. 423 00:28:07,030 --> 00:28:12,446 This recording includes A.K.A. Brother Naz. 424 00:28:12,470 --> 00:28:16,806 (phone calling out) Hi. 425 00:28:16,830 --> 00:28:19,006 As-salaam alaykum. Yeah? 426 00:28:19,030 --> 00:28:21,106 How you doing, akhi, what's going on? 427 00:28:21,130 --> 00:28:23,646 Hey, what's up, Ab? Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, 428 00:28:23,670 --> 00:28:26,406 you okay, akhi? Yeah, (inaudible), hanging in 429 00:28:26,430 --> 00:28:29,376 there. I hear you, brother. 430 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,006 I've been working, but I'm gonna get off early today. 431 00:28:32,030 --> 00:28:35,076 I'll probably be at the temple around 7:00. 432 00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:37,946 Okay, so you want me to meet you at the temple at 7:00, or do 433 00:28:37,970 --> 00:28:41,776 you wanna come over to the, to the, um, to the house? 434 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,376 Uh... I mean, I'm in my house. 435 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:49,776 It's, it's more safe, you know? Over here, it's, it's quiet. 436 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,876 Okay, I'll, I'll be there around 7:00, then. 437 00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:55,606 All right, brother, thank you very much, man. 438 00:28:55,630 --> 00:28:59,006 (phone disconnects) Abbas kept begging and 439 00:28:59,030 --> 00:29:01,376 begging, begging, he just kept promising, "You just don't 440 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,806 realize the opportunity that I can have for you." 441 00:29:03,830 --> 00:29:05,676 You know, "We're gonna do something really, really, really 442 00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:09,076 great. Together, financially." 443 00:29:09,100 --> 00:29:12,106 "I could really help you guys, if you just trust me just a 444 00:29:12,130 --> 00:29:15,646 little bit, just to come by and talk." 445 00:29:15,670 --> 00:29:18,946 So it wasn't, "Let's see how we can build a mousetrap, put 446 00:29:18,970 --> 00:29:22,576 a big piece of cheese on there." Listen, I don't even know if 447 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,846 this is a mouse. And if it is a mouse, I don't 448 00:29:26,870 --> 00:29:30,176 even know if this mouse wants any cheese. 449 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:34,176 So... We looked at Batiste and said 450 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,206 he doesn't look like, you know, I don't know, he's... 451 00:29:37,230 --> 00:29:39,946 He's saying these things that a mouse would say, but let's give 452 00:29:39,970 --> 00:29:43,646 him another shot. And then we had nowhere else 453 00:29:43,670 --> 00:29:47,370 to go but to put the piece of cheese on the trap. 454 00:29:52,730 --> 00:29:57,676 When you're sending an informant into a meeting, you're not 455 00:29:57,700 --> 00:30:00,676 giving them a script. You're giving them an outline, 456 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:04,330 with a, with some objectives to achieve. 457 00:30:05,670 --> 00:30:10,046 Revisit this conversation. Let Batiste explain in his own 458 00:30:10,070 --> 00:30:16,846 words what it is that he was asking Abbas for assistance in. 459 00:30:16,870 --> 00:30:23,106 The outline for that was in the form of Abbas telling Narseal 460 00:30:23,130 --> 00:30:26,806 Batiste, "Remember you told me you wanted to meet an Al-Qaeda 461 00:30:26,830 --> 00:30:30,130 guy. Um, well, I, I got the guy." 462 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,776 Abbas has a friend of his that he wants me to meet who's 463 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:38,876 a financial guy, a rich guy, this, that, and the other. 464 00:30:38,900 --> 00:30:41,406 And that he would help back us at whatever we needed. 465 00:30:41,430 --> 00:30:43,776 But we need to follow his direction in this. 466 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,876 Okay, so he wants us to make sure that we're really good 467 00:30:46,900 --> 00:30:49,206 Muslims. He's, like, "Yeah, you gotta be 468 00:30:49,230 --> 00:30:53,546 really good, good Muslim men. And no Christianity, so, so go 469 00:30:53,570 --> 00:30:58,306 buy some Qurans." I'm, like, "Uh-huh." 470 00:30:58,330 --> 00:31:03,506 Abbas told Naz he has a uncle coming down who's a 471 00:31:03,530 --> 00:31:06,206 philanthropist. And he love people who's helping 472 00:31:06,230 --> 00:31:09,006 the community. That's what Abbas must have 473 00:31:09,030 --> 00:31:12,276 repeated a thousand times: "Man, my uncle like to help people 474 00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:14,506 who help people. Don't worry about nothing. 475 00:31:14,530 --> 00:31:16,876 He's... that's what he do." "I'm gonna talk to my uncle. 476 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:19,846 My uncle going to help you. You know, he gonna get some 477 00:31:19,870 --> 00:31:21,946 money and we all gonna, you know, we're all gonna make 478 00:31:21,970 --> 00:31:23,506 some money." We wanted the money, we 479 00:31:23,530 --> 00:31:27,176 wanted the funds, 'cause we... We were (bleep) up bad. 480 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,346 Nobody had the knowledge of how to run a business. 481 00:31:30,370 --> 00:31:34,146 So we was (bleep) up what we was doing. 482 00:31:34,170 --> 00:31:41,046 This is Balan, the date is 11-21-2005, the time is 7:58 483 00:31:41,070 --> 00:31:47,006 p.m. (phone calling out) 484 00:31:47,030 --> 00:31:49,446 Akhi! Akhi, how you doing, man? 485 00:31:49,470 --> 00:31:52,946 That's Brother Naz, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 486 00:31:52,970 --> 00:31:55,446 I'm waiting for you, man. How you doing, what's going on? 487 00:31:55,470 --> 00:31:58,506 Rock on, brother, rock on! All right, all right, I just 488 00:31:58,530 --> 00:32:00,976 don't wanna be missing anything, because I'm praying alone and I 489 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,606 don't like it, man, I'm waiting for you for isha. 490 00:32:03,630 --> 00:32:06,276 Oh, inshallah, we're gonna be there in two or three minutes. 491 00:32:06,300 --> 00:32:09,346 Okay, inshallah, akhi. Inshallah, man, salaam 492 00:32:09,370 --> 00:32:11,876 alaykum. Mashallah. 493 00:32:11,900 --> 00:32:18,506 (phone disconnects) The time is 7:59 p.m. 494 00:32:18,530 --> 00:32:21,846 This recording is ended. (tape recorder stops) 495 00:32:21,870 --> 00:32:29,870 (dog barking, crickets chirping) (knock at door) 496 00:32:38,070 --> 00:32:46,070 (indistinct chatter) When we get there, we're 497 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,346 still in our work clothes 'cause we just left a job. 498 00:32:51,370 --> 00:32:57,700 Me and Patrick Abraham. (indistinct chatter) 499 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,006 We were just kind of, like, clowning around. 500 00:33:07,030 --> 00:33:11,646 (indistinct chatter) Just laughing and talking 501 00:33:11,670 --> 00:33:15,800 about the situation that Abbas was, was talking to us about. 502 00:33:24,470 --> 00:33:27,546 Our intention from the beginning was to put this to 503 00:33:27,570 --> 00:33:30,146 bed. He wants to meet Al-Qaeda? 504 00:33:30,170 --> 00:33:32,806 Okay, tell him you got a guy, see what he says. 505 00:33:32,830 --> 00:33:35,176 The expected response would be, "Well, what are you, what are 506 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,946 you, what are you talking about? I, I never... I don't 507 00:33:37,970 --> 00:33:45,970 remember ever saying that." He could have said, "Hey, 508 00:34:16,430 --> 00:34:21,346 listen, I, I was a little out of my lane, I was off my meds, 509 00:34:21,370 --> 00:34:23,846 and I don't know what you're talking about." 510 00:34:23,870 --> 00:34:27,646 And then we would have happily have closed that investigation, 511 00:34:27,670 --> 00:34:30,900 because it wasn't like we were looking for work. 512 00:34:40,830 --> 00:34:44,546 I thought Abbas was an avenue to relinquish my financial 513 00:34:44,570 --> 00:34:47,946 difficulty. If I can just get the money, I 514 00:34:47,970 --> 00:34:51,406 can pay these immediate bills. That was the only thing that 515 00:34:51,430 --> 00:34:56,446 kept driving me: that if I get that one handful of money, then 516 00:34:56,470 --> 00:35:04,470 it's over with. I had no belief into, um, 517 00:35:22,370 --> 00:35:26,076 fighting any jihad, holy war, or anything that's going on in 518 00:35:26,100 --> 00:35:27,946 the Middle East. And even though it was against 519 00:35:27,970 --> 00:35:30,446 my morals and values, I felt like if I could go through it 520 00:35:30,470 --> 00:35:34,530 and just get the money, then all of that would be washed away. 521 00:35:51,270 --> 00:35:53,476 "Well, Tony, we got the tape." 522 00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:56,806 "Okay, so what are we doing?" "Well, he asked him, 'Hey, you 523 00:35:56,830 --> 00:35:59,206 remember when you wanted to meet the...?', and he said, 524 00:35:59,230 --> 00:36:01,176 'Yeah.'" "So what, what are we doing 525 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,776 now?" "Okay, well, you, you're gonna 526 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,546 have to put somebody that's gonna pretend to be Al-Qaeda 527 00:36:08,570 --> 00:36:11,906 in front of him." My name is Elie Assaad, 528 00:36:11,930 --> 00:36:15,976 former undercover operative for United State, uh, government. 529 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:20,346 We identified an informant that had been previously used in 530 00:36:20,370 --> 00:36:23,676 another FBI investigation in Miami. 531 00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:26,446 So, they needed to, to get somebody else, a little bit 532 00:36:26,470 --> 00:36:29,706 stronger, a little bit more forceful, so they bring in the 533 00:36:29,730 --> 00:36:33,476 closer. The closer is, is, uh, Elie 534 00:36:33,500 --> 00:36:36,106 Assaad. And Elie Assaad was a 535 00:36:36,130 --> 00:36:39,276 professional informant. He used to refer to himself to 536 00:36:39,300 --> 00:36:42,946 his friends as Tony Montana from the, uh, "Scarface," you 537 00:36:42,970 --> 00:36:46,476 know, the, the evil character. Are we ready? 538 00:36:46,500 --> 00:36:49,746 You ready? Hold on, one second. 539 00:36:49,770 --> 00:36:53,006 Sure, okay. When we initially got the 540 00:36:53,030 --> 00:36:55,576 information, we're looking at this, and we're, like, "Do we 541 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,346 think that these guys really wanna meet somebody from 542 00:36:57,370 --> 00:37:00,946 Al-Qaeda?" You know, common sense sort of 543 00:37:00,970 --> 00:37:05,006 suggested probably not, but let's see where it goes. 544 00:37:05,030 --> 00:37:08,046 And so we decided on using him because we did not expect for it 545 00:37:08,070 --> 00:37:10,946 to go beyond that first meeting. I'm good, I never lost a 546 00:37:10,970 --> 00:37:14,346 case. I never lost a case all these 547 00:37:14,370 --> 00:37:20,306 years... even sometimes, uh, when they have already on, 548 00:37:20,330 --> 00:37:24,706 ongoing cases, where they feel they gonna lose it, and they 549 00:37:24,730 --> 00:37:29,606 bring me to, uh, jump in and put it back on track. 550 00:37:29,630 --> 00:37:32,806 Abbas is talking about Elie Assaad, but he's using his name 551 00:37:32,830 --> 00:37:36,076 as "Uncle." Yeah, that's, that's his name. 552 00:37:36,100 --> 00:37:40,070 Elie Assaad. No good mother(bleep). 553 00:37:47,030 --> 00:37:50,630 We rented a hotel room. The Hilton, Downtown Miami. 554 00:37:53,500 --> 00:37:57,176 Again, we set up surveillance so we could capture the meeting in 555 00:37:57,200 --> 00:38:05,200 video and audio. I'm in a room close by, where we 556 00:38:06,730 --> 00:38:12,876 can monitor the meeting. We also have a surveillance unit 557 00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:20,376 outside of the hotel. Abbas continued to call us 558 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:24,146 and call us until Elie Assaad came and he called me on that 559 00:38:24,170 --> 00:38:27,406 day to go meet him. He initially promised me, like, 560 00:38:27,430 --> 00:38:29,976 around 20 grand or whatever. He said, "I'll have it for 561 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:34,570 you. I just need you to meet him ." 562 00:38:35,930 --> 00:38:39,046 The surveillance team says, "You're not going to believe 563 00:38:39,070 --> 00:38:42,346 this, but your subject is walking down Biscayne Boulevard 564 00:38:42,370 --> 00:38:48,606 in a white robe and a cane that's six feet tall, looking 565 00:38:48,630 --> 00:38:51,146 like Moses." I got on the radio and I said, 566 00:38:51,170 --> 00:38:53,646 "Are you sure it's our subject?" And they're, like, "It's, it's 567 00:38:53,670 --> 00:38:55,776 your guy." I look at our team in the room 568 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,806 and I'm, like, "What, what's going on?" 569 00:38:59,830 --> 00:39:03,476 Room 612, I knocked on the door. 570 00:39:03,500 --> 00:39:06,776 Assaad opened up the door and he says, "Come on in, brother, 571 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:14,800 let's talk." I figured I could be slick 572 00:39:15,330 --> 00:39:18,176 enough to say what I had to say in there and just get that 573 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:22,706 money and break off. Batiste doesn't blink. 574 00:39:22,730 --> 00:39:25,506 He could have said, "Listen, I was just joking, I'm going to a 575 00:39:25,530 --> 00:39:29,030 Halloween party..." And fine. 576 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,606 Elie Assaad. He had somewhat of an ego 577 00:39:58,630 --> 00:40:06,630 if you will. I think he sort of felt he 578 00:40:13,870 --> 00:40:17,276 needed to guide this conversation more affirmatively, 579 00:40:17,300 --> 00:40:21,130 and at times I think he, he may overdo it. 580 00:40:44,630 --> 00:40:46,976 I was never good at being no type of scam artist. 581 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:48,876 This is, this is the first time in my life I'm ever really 582 00:40:48,900 --> 00:40:56,900 trying to run a scam. And he was, like, "All 583 00:42:02,030 --> 00:42:04,006 right, so what do you need?" I knew that I had to make 584 00:42:04,030 --> 00:42:05,846 something up right then and there. 585 00:42:05,870 --> 00:42:07,906 Course, I was not prepared for any kind of list, I didn't bring 586 00:42:07,930 --> 00:42:10,106 any kind of list, because this was just something I was just 587 00:42:10,130 --> 00:42:12,546 brainstorming on. So I wrote a whole bunch of 588 00:42:12,570 --> 00:42:15,306 crazy things down on the list. I needed knee-high boots, things 589 00:42:15,330 --> 00:42:23,330 that didn't make sense. Yes, I put guns on there. 590 00:42:29,330 --> 00:42:31,306 I couldn't name them, he kept asking me the name for them. 591 00:42:31,330 --> 00:42:33,650 I didn't know any name of guns, 'cause I never owned a gun. 592 00:42:57,430 --> 00:43:00,406 The list that he took he tore up several times, and 593 00:43:00,430 --> 00:43:03,476 eventually, there was a list that was made. 594 00:43:03,500 --> 00:43:06,106 And he was, like, "I'll go back and talk to Abbas about 595 00:43:06,130 --> 00:43:09,270 everything and we'll work on getting the money to you." 596 00:43:12,570 --> 00:43:18,576 I left the room. I felt a lot of fear. 597 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:21,870 I felt like a big cavity was inside my chest. 598 00:43:25,500 --> 00:43:33,500 Empty. We're... we're in the room and 599 00:43:40,270 --> 00:43:42,130 we're, like, "Okay, well, what happens now?" 600 00:43:42,770 --> 00:43:48,306 So, we went back to the, uh, to the bullpen, and sat down and 601 00:43:48,330 --> 00:43:51,676 says, "Okay, guys, it's, let's whiteboard this. 602 00:43:51,700 --> 00:43:54,476 What are, what are we gonna do?" Okay? We could go knock on 603 00:43:54,500 --> 00:43:59,276 Batiste's door and say, "Hey, listen, we... 604 00:43:59,300 --> 00:44:02,076 You met with somebody who said they were with Al-Qaeda. 605 00:44:02,100 --> 00:44:05,406 Now, how serious are you? 'Cause if you're not, okay, 606 00:44:05,430 --> 00:44:10,346 you need to knock it off." They could just... go off and 607 00:44:10,370 --> 00:44:13,476 not do anything for another year, or two years, or three 608 00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:15,946 years. There aren't enough resources to 609 00:44:15,970 --> 00:44:19,006 commit to that type of, you know, monitoring. 610 00:44:19,030 --> 00:44:27,030 So, we wanted to find out, um, how committed Batiste was to 611 00:44:27,100 --> 00:44:35,100 what he had told Elie Assaad. This whole thing was way 612 00:44:40,700 --> 00:44:44,346 beyond me. The rhetoric and the talk and 613 00:44:44,370 --> 00:44:49,470 the relationship with Abbas just went... way out of control. 614 00:45:04,430 --> 00:45:07,746 My hustle wasn't even talking about terrorists at the very 615 00:45:07,770 --> 00:45:11,476 beginning. I was slowly wielded into that 616 00:45:11,500 --> 00:45:19,500 with Abbas. He really set these guys up. 617 00:45:26,530 --> 00:45:30,106 There's really no other way for me to put it. 618 00:45:30,130 --> 00:45:33,406 Abbas saw, from working in the store, that these men didn't 619 00:45:33,430 --> 00:45:36,006 have a lot of money. And he also played on that, 620 00:45:36,030 --> 00:45:44,030 that they were poor. They just kept getting pushed 621 00:45:53,770 --> 00:45:56,606 forward and forward and forward by Abbas. 622 00:45:56,630 --> 00:46:00,106 And Abbas is putting all these ideas in their head. 623 00:46:00,130 --> 00:46:03,606 It was like a big joke to him at home, it was... 624 00:46:03,630 --> 00:46:05,976 All he could do was laugh about it, it... 625 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:08,746 He thought it was hilarious. He was, like, "I can't believe 626 00:46:08,770 --> 00:46:11,676 they think I'm really Al-Qaeda." It didn't matter if that's how 627 00:46:11,700 --> 00:46:14,946 he was gonna get his money, if that's how the FBI was gonna pay 628 00:46:14,970 --> 00:46:22,970 him. In the informant world, are 629 00:46:37,300 --> 00:46:40,576 they paid? Of course they're paid. 630 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:44,246 They got paid expenses. It wasn't, like, "Hey, listen, 631 00:46:44,270 --> 00:46:46,846 if you get a conviction, you're gonna get a hundred, a hundred 632 00:46:46,870 --> 00:46:48,700 thousand dollars." That's not how we operate. 633 00:46:58,070 --> 00:47:01,846 I finally get a call from Abbas telling me, "Look, um, Assaad 634 00:47:01,870 --> 00:47:04,376 definitely wants to meet with you... he's got the money, you 635 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:09,346 just have to pick him up." He told me that, "If you gonna 636 00:47:09,370 --> 00:47:12,546 get the money, you gotta make it sound for real. 637 00:47:12,570 --> 00:47:15,446 Talk big, like you gonna blow something up." 638 00:47:15,470 --> 00:47:18,546 He said, "If you say that, they're gonna come through." 639 00:47:18,570 --> 00:47:20,676 I was high off marijuana one time when we was riding in the 640 00:47:20,700 --> 00:47:23,506 back seat of a car, and he whispered over to me, says, "You 641 00:47:23,530 --> 00:47:25,376 got anything in mind you could say big? 642 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:27,246 Say, you're from Chicago, you should be able to come up with 643 00:47:27,270 --> 00:47:28,806 something." And I thought in my mind, "Well, 644 00:47:28,830 --> 00:47:30,406 the Sears Tower, I guess I'll blow that up, how does that 645 00:47:30,430 --> 00:47:32,446 sound?" And he cracked up laughing and 646 00:47:32,470 --> 00:47:40,470 he said, "That would be great." That was the basic 647 00:47:51,830 --> 00:47:54,606 motivation of it, was, the whole thing was about who could scam 648 00:47:54,630 --> 00:47:58,246 who out of the money. Did you think that that could 649 00:47:58,270 --> 00:48:02,446 go wrong for you? Yes. 650 00:48:02,470 --> 00:48:04,970 Did I linger on that thought? No. 651 00:49:14,100 --> 00:49:17,506 He's gonna give you money. What the (bleep) you think the 652 00:49:17,530 --> 00:49:22,006 money is for? Terrorism. 653 00:49:22,030 --> 00:49:25,306 He wants you to do an act, just like a, uh, murder for hire. 654 00:49:25,330 --> 00:49:29,106 What's present in our mind is, "When you give it to me, I'm not 655 00:49:29,130 --> 00:49:33,106 killing nobody. This is mine, (bleep) you. 656 00:49:33,130 --> 00:49:35,476 What you gonna do? 'Cause if you really that 657 00:49:35,500 --> 00:49:37,606 powerful, you would have had your own crew right here. 658 00:49:37,630 --> 00:49:40,506 You ain't (bleep). You just a rich mother(bleep) 659 00:49:40,530 --> 00:49:43,646 that is gonna give the money to us and then you gonna 660 00:49:43,670 --> 00:49:45,806 disappear." Whoa, man, it's, like, 661 00:49:45,830 --> 00:49:49,446 terrorism. You know, it never popped in 662 00:49:49,470 --> 00:49:52,876 our mind like, "Yo, this is something serious." 663 00:49:52,900 --> 00:49:56,276 It's like these two (bleep) fake guys playing some (bleep)-damned 664 00:49:56,300 --> 00:49:59,476 game. Batiste fighting for control 665 00:49:59,500 --> 00:50:03,776 over some damn donations, and it was... it all made me sick. 666 00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:08,606 I wanna prove these guys didn't wanna do this. 667 00:50:08,630 --> 00:50:12,346 I wanna prove that this conversation that the informant 668 00:50:12,370 --> 00:50:15,706 may have misquoted didn't happen. 669 00:50:15,730 --> 00:50:19,646 And this is what it is. But that's not what happened. 670 00:50:19,670 --> 00:50:23,606 Every time I thought we were gonna get off the highway, we 671 00:50:23,630 --> 00:50:29,346 hit another mile marker. Yeah, he left yesterday. 672 00:50:29,370 --> 00:50:32,930 (exhales) He left yesterday, so... 673 00:50:50,670 --> 00:50:52,876 I was taking a lot of marijuana substance. 674 00:50:52,900 --> 00:50:56,576 At least an ounce every two days, and it had me living in a 675 00:50:56,600 --> 00:50:59,476 world of fear. And fear was pulling all of this 676 00:50:59,500 --> 00:51:04,406 into a detrimental path with myself. 677 00:51:04,430 --> 00:51:07,646 As far as trusting my own, uh, judgment of what's right and 678 00:51:07,670 --> 00:51:12,000 wrong, in terms of the scam, of going further or not. 679 00:51:29,070 --> 00:51:31,676 Whenever I, I, you know, my attention fell on him, it's 680 00:51:31,700 --> 00:51:34,846 like, "Yeah, he talking, talking crazy. 681 00:51:34,870 --> 00:51:37,946 You know, doing all of that just to get the, convince the guy 682 00:51:37,970 --> 00:51:45,970 to get you some money." I was just trying to get into 683 00:51:59,330 --> 00:52:02,606 Assaad's head, you know, say what would make him happy. 684 00:52:02,630 --> 00:52:05,406 'Cause he kept looking at me like, you know, "I need more. 685 00:52:05,430 --> 00:52:13,430 Say something more." This guy just make a 686 00:52:20,970 --> 00:52:24,906 crazy-ass statement and then, less than ten second later, he's 687 00:52:24,930 --> 00:52:29,630 in a basketball game. The TV faced us. 688 00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:35,076 So, a lot of time, you see me there, I'm, I'm looking, I'm 689 00:52:35,100 --> 00:52:43,100 watching the game. I wasn't feeling good about 690 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:26,746 what I was saying. But at the time, I felt like I 691 00:53:26,770 --> 00:53:30,476 had to, to make up this story one more time for this guy. 692 00:53:30,500 --> 00:53:32,606 So, I was just constantly just flipping through different 693 00:53:32,630 --> 00:53:34,970 pictures in my mind that I seen on the media. 694 00:53:42,500 --> 00:53:45,406 I grabbed that from just end of world type of movies. 695 00:53:45,430 --> 00:53:47,606 'Cause a lot of that was going on at the time. 696 00:53:47,630 --> 00:53:55,630 Tidal waves type of movies. (clapping) 697 00:54:00,300 --> 00:54:02,946 I'm not gonna do anything. I'm just talking a whole bunch 698 00:54:02,970 --> 00:54:05,870 of crap here. And I'm high. 699 00:54:20,830 --> 00:54:27,906 If Batiste is having these conversations with somebody he 700 00:54:27,930 --> 00:54:33,306 believes is from Al-Qaeda, you know, Al-Qaeda would say, "Okay, 701 00:54:33,330 --> 00:54:36,506 maybe, maybe we should target the Sears Tower. 702 00:54:36,530 --> 00:54:40,246 And, and, and by the way, you think we should, as the 703 00:54:40,270 --> 00:54:43,176 survivors run out, shoot them? We didn't even think of that. 704 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:51,200 Write that down." (laughs) 705 00:55:00,870 --> 00:55:05,676 Dude. You, you, you really have to do 706 00:55:05,700 --> 00:55:09,646 all of that? Did you have to really, doing 707 00:55:09,670 --> 00:55:11,976 all that back and forth with the guy? 708 00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:14,676 "Yeah, he, he gonna, you know, I'm gonna get the money. 709 00:55:14,700 --> 00:55:18,176 I'm gonna get the money." All right, whatever, man. 710 00:55:18,200 --> 00:55:22,706 I was sick of it. Matter of fact, I remember, 711 00:55:22,730 --> 00:55:27,346 uh, when I went home, I got sick somehow or another, I was 712 00:55:27,370 --> 00:55:32,846 doing a lot of vomiting. It's, like, "Okay, let's say 713 00:55:32,870 --> 00:55:35,870 he is crazy. That's a dangerous dialogue." 714 00:55:38,430 --> 00:55:44,546 We never expected, again, to get to where we ended up, because we 715 00:55:44,570 --> 00:55:48,246 thought at some point, he would say, "Look, this is what I'm... 716 00:55:48,270 --> 00:55:54,046 This is all a charade." Director Mueller was being 717 00:55:54,070 --> 00:55:56,046 briefed daily. And we knew that this was 718 00:55:56,070 --> 00:55:58,546 included in his presidential briefs. 719 00:55:58,570 --> 00:56:02,146 That brief is, "Look, there's a group of kids in Miami-Dade that 720 00:56:02,170 --> 00:56:05,406 formed an organization, that want to align themselves with 721 00:56:05,430 --> 00:56:09,030 Al-Qaeda to start a war in the United States." 722 00:56:10,630 --> 00:56:13,846 The prosecutors wanted more overt acts. 723 00:56:13,870 --> 00:56:17,776 So anytime there's a conspiracy involved, you have to have overt 724 00:56:17,800 --> 00:56:20,800 acts in furtherance of that conspiracy. 725 00:56:21,300 --> 00:56:26,746 Anything that a prosecutor could use as evidence to convince a 726 00:56:26,770 --> 00:56:30,106 judge or jury that these people were serious. 727 00:56:30,130 --> 00:56:34,876 A conversation is an act. So, uh, you don't need to pick 728 00:56:34,900 --> 00:56:39,406 up a gun or, or let off a bomb or make a bomb for it to be an 729 00:56:39,430 --> 00:56:43,276 overt act. I think the idea came from the 730 00:56:43,300 --> 00:56:48,476 FBI through C.I.A., and the idea was to have some sort of formal 731 00:56:48,500 --> 00:56:51,846 allegiance, some pledge to Al-Qaeda, to see if they went 732 00:56:51,870 --> 00:56:57,106 forward with it. The idea was introduced to 733 00:56:57,130 --> 00:57:01,646 further test their commitment to their interest in aligning with 734 00:57:01,670 --> 00:57:05,306 Al-Qaeda by saying, "Well, look, you have to take an oath of 735 00:57:05,330 --> 00:57:11,746 loyalty." ♪ ♪ 736 00:57:11,770 --> 00:57:15,346 Assaad came by the temple. He says, "The reason why I hold 737 00:57:15,370 --> 00:57:17,376 back the money from you is because you don't have a 738 00:57:17,400 --> 00:57:19,446 commitment." I said, "Well, what do you 739 00:57:19,470 --> 00:57:21,446 mean?" He says, "We gotta have some 740 00:57:21,470 --> 00:57:24,576 type of commitment between us." And he didn't call it an oath or 741 00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:28,676 any, uh, swearing allegiance to any organization or anything. 742 00:57:28,700 --> 00:57:32,246 He says, "Just a commitment." So he says, "Well, we have to 743 00:57:32,270 --> 00:57:35,376 meet and we have to discuss this commitment some more and 744 00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:42,706 then we can proceed further." I drove to his location and he 745 00:57:42,730 --> 00:57:45,006 got in the car and he pulled out this piece of paper and he says, 746 00:57:45,030 --> 00:57:48,200 "This is the commitment or the oath that I need you to read." 747 00:58:09,770 --> 00:58:13,376 Listen, if, if you're not a hundred percent on board with 748 00:58:13,400 --> 00:58:17,406 this, here's your, here's your chance to get out. 749 00:58:17,430 --> 00:58:20,670 Here's your chance to get out. And so eventually, I read it. 750 00:58:35,470 --> 00:58:38,406 I felt like it was stupid. I didn't feel like it was a real 751 00:58:38,430 --> 00:58:41,246 Al-Qaeda oath. Um, usually, when somebody 752 00:58:41,270 --> 00:58:45,006 wants you to swear allegiance to a dangerous organization, it's 753 00:58:45,030 --> 00:58:48,006 gonna be something, some type of dramatic thing... they ain't 754 00:58:48,030 --> 00:58:50,146 gonna actually read from no piece of paper. 755 00:58:50,170 --> 00:58:52,506 They're gonna probably, you know, do something crazy to you 756 00:58:52,530 --> 00:58:55,846 or have you do something crazy. Were you not worried that 757 00:58:55,870 --> 00:58:57,846 this could all catch up with you very quickly? 758 00:58:57,870 --> 00:59:01,346 Of course I was worried. And yet... 759 00:59:01,370 --> 00:59:05,200 Yet I thought I could still, uh, make this deal go through. 760 00:59:30,200 --> 00:59:32,976 The direction that was given was, if, if Batiste takes the 761 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:39,376 oath, then you tell him that all of the members of his 762 00:59:39,400 --> 00:59:41,806 organization have to take the oath. 763 00:59:41,830 --> 00:59:43,470 So, this was already pre-planned. 764 00:59:55,800 --> 00:59:59,776 I felt like I was getting deeper into a trap. 765 00:59:59,800 --> 01:00:01,946 That I might not be able to get myself out of this trap if I 766 01:00:01,970 --> 01:00:09,176 play this game even further. ♪ ♪ 767 01:00:09,200 --> 01:00:13,106 The approach that we took was to create a platform to capture 768 01:00:13,130 --> 01:00:18,746 conversations with the group. That particular area where their 769 01:00:18,770 --> 01:00:22,746 warehouse was was incredibly difficult to surveil. 770 01:00:22,770 --> 01:00:27,806 It was a high drug trafficking area. 771 01:00:27,830 --> 01:00:31,706 So, we looked at telling Batiste, "Hey, listen, one of 772 01:00:31,730 --> 01:00:35,006 the things we can do is, we could get you a better training 773 01:00:35,030 --> 01:00:40,046 facility." ♪ ♪ 774 01:00:40,070 --> 01:00:45,176 The idea came up, renting a warehouse, pre-wiring it, so we 775 01:00:45,200 --> 01:00:49,406 could capture audio and video. Then take that warehouse and 776 01:00:49,430 --> 01:00:52,776 identify three other warehouses, and tell Batiste, "Hey, listen, 777 01:00:52,800 --> 01:00:56,730 let's go, look at some warehouses." 778 01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:12,306 I was told by Assaad, "I got a warehouse. 779 01:01:12,330 --> 01:01:14,406 And we need to go look at one, you can pick out any one, and 780 01:01:14,430 --> 01:01:17,546 we'll just give it to you. And that'll be a part of the 781 01:01:17,570 --> 01:01:20,930 financial help that we'll give you." 782 01:01:28,430 --> 01:01:30,606 I mean, this isn't rocket science. 783 01:01:30,630 --> 01:01:34,006 We got a really nice warehouse. It's a Bentley of warehouses, 784 01:01:34,030 --> 01:01:36,506 and then two other warehouses that, you know, you wouldn't 785 01:01:36,530 --> 01:01:40,246 even wanna, you know, burn for insurance money. 786 01:01:40,270 --> 01:01:42,576 The question is posed to Batiste, "Which warehouse do you 787 01:01:42,600 --> 01:01:50,600 want?" We picked the one the FBI 788 01:01:55,870 --> 01:01:59,906 wanted us to pick. How, how much control is... 789 01:01:59,930 --> 01:02:03,846 That's why I'm tripping. The one we pick, we pick, is the 790 01:02:03,870 --> 01:02:06,806 one they had set up that they wanted us to pick so they'll... 791 01:02:06,830 --> 01:02:09,676 This is how so much it was over our head... they knew how to 792 01:02:09,700 --> 01:02:14,476 make us pick what they wanted us to pick. 793 01:02:14,500 --> 01:02:18,576 There was a boat in there. There was a van in there. 794 01:02:18,600 --> 01:02:20,876 They both had keys, both had deeds in them. 795 01:02:20,900 --> 01:02:24,876 It was all ours. There was a, a refrigerator 796 01:02:24,900 --> 01:02:27,246 filled with fish and all type of seafood. 797 01:02:27,270 --> 01:02:31,046 Like, ten pounds of shrimp. I was, like, "Wow. 798 01:02:31,070 --> 01:02:35,446 Somebody just bought this. It was fresh." 799 01:02:35,470 --> 01:02:38,546 And we flipped the switch. We got a Title III wiretap 800 01:02:38,570 --> 01:02:41,730 intercept. Okay, let's see what happens. 801 01:02:48,000 --> 01:02:50,776 It was huge. You know, so we had places for 802 01:02:50,800 --> 01:02:54,206 bunks, places to work out, places to store our equipment. 803 01:02:54,230 --> 01:02:57,046 It was an office in the front. So even for us, it was, like, 804 01:02:57,070 --> 01:03:05,070 whoa, this would be a step up. (laughing) 805 01:03:31,400 --> 01:03:34,276 Did you talk to the brothers about this? 806 01:03:34,300 --> 01:03:40,006 Uh, in part. In part. 807 01:03:40,030 --> 01:03:42,806 Do you feel you were being honest with the brothers at this 808 01:03:42,830 --> 01:03:45,276 point? In terms of holding back 809 01:03:45,300 --> 01:03:47,046 information? Yeah. 810 01:03:47,070 --> 01:03:48,946 Yeah, I held back information. 811 01:03:48,970 --> 01:03:51,206 Why? Uh, I felt like they would 812 01:03:51,230 --> 01:03:53,946 have judged the situation to be not worth it. 813 01:03:53,970 --> 01:03:56,976 And we could lose out on an opportunity that we've already 814 01:03:57,000 --> 01:04:05,000 worked ourselves into. ♪ ♪ 815 01:04:31,930 --> 01:04:39,930 ♪ ♪ Naz was telling us already 816 01:04:44,600 --> 01:04:46,506 that, "Don't worry about what this guy is saying. 817 01:04:46,530 --> 01:04:51,076 It's just all bull(bleep)." 'Cause before then, we came from 818 01:04:51,100 --> 01:04:55,346 a construction site. Before we went in here that day, 819 01:04:55,370 --> 01:05:03,370 we came off of doing a job. I didn't give a (bleep) what 820 01:05:03,570 --> 01:05:05,246 he was. Really? 821 01:05:05,270 --> 01:05:07,306 I really didn't, that's what I'm trying to get you to, I 822 01:05:07,330 --> 01:05:09,076 don't give a (bleep). We grew up from... nothing. 823 01:05:09,100 --> 01:05:11,446 We grew up from watching people that we love die, get shot in 824 01:05:11,470 --> 01:05:13,976 the street. We didn't grow up where 825 01:05:14,000 --> 01:05:16,076 everybody talked their way out of trouble. 826 01:05:16,100 --> 01:05:19,046 We grew up, everybody got killed or got sent to jail. 827 01:05:19,070 --> 01:05:22,406 So it's, like, our way of life was if he didn't... 828 01:05:22,430 --> 01:05:25,446 If we didn't see him display this type of violence, then 829 01:05:25,470 --> 01:05:28,276 he's not on it. He's not, he's just talking. 830 01:05:28,300 --> 01:05:34,870 And he's full of (bleep). ♪ ♪ 831 01:05:48,930 --> 01:05:52,846 ♪ ♪ The scenario was: Batiste 832 01:05:52,870 --> 01:05:57,306 would bring them in and each one would have to take the oath. 833 01:05:57,330 --> 01:06:02,046 Not as a group. Again, the reason for that is, 834 01:06:02,070 --> 01:06:08,776 maybe somebody is in that group, and they're not saying anything, 835 01:06:08,800 --> 01:06:12,006 but they're, like, "I..." You know, "I, I draw the line 836 01:06:12,030 --> 01:06:20,030 here." I told them that he had some 837 01:06:36,670 --> 01:06:39,146 silly commitment that he was asking us to read, but don't 838 01:06:39,170 --> 01:06:41,606 take it serious. Batiste already spoke to us, 839 01:06:41,630 --> 01:06:43,776 that's, no matter what's going on, he's just trying to get some 840 01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:46,946 money, to just, don't say nothing and just back him up. 841 01:06:46,970 --> 01:06:54,946 Okay. And I can't really tell you 842 01:06:54,970 --> 01:06:58,446 detail of how it transferred to the whole oath thing. 843 01:06:58,470 --> 01:07:01,046 I just know it happened. 'Cause during this whole time, 844 01:07:01,070 --> 01:07:03,970 I'm getting high like a mother(bleep). 845 01:07:48,370 --> 01:07:50,676 When he says that, I looked towards Batiste, I was, like, 846 01:07:50,700 --> 01:07:54,000 "Hey, uh, Batiste, is this cool, or this, this all right, man?" 847 01:07:59,600 --> 01:08:02,306 We, like, gritting our teeth and we, like, we put our hands 848 01:08:02,330 --> 01:08:10,330 up. You know, we backing up our man. 849 01:08:18,170 --> 01:08:26,170 That's crazy, man. Meanwhile, I was in the 850 01:08:28,370 --> 01:08:30,306 background just giving the brothers the eye wink for 851 01:08:30,330 --> 01:08:33,246 assurance, like, this is just... This ain't real, it's just a 852 01:08:33,270 --> 01:08:41,270 game. (indistinct). 853 01:08:50,800 --> 01:08:53,846 Okay. We barely had time to even 854 01:08:53,870 --> 01:08:59,806 think, and who gives oaths to Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda? 855 01:08:59,830 --> 01:09:03,176 That (bleep) is for the movies. This is what we see on TV. 856 01:09:03,200 --> 01:09:06,176 It's not... even if it was real, it wasn't real. 857 01:09:06,200 --> 01:09:08,470 'Cause it doesn't happen where we come from. 858 01:09:25,230 --> 01:09:28,376 Once everyone took the oath, Elie Assaad was instructed to 859 01:09:28,400 --> 01:09:34,346 introduce a plot by Al-Qaeda to blow up five FBI offices, Miami 860 01:09:34,370 --> 01:09:38,576 being one of them. And that Al-Qaeda would like 861 01:09:38,600 --> 01:09:42,206 some assistance in doing reconnaissance and surveillance 862 01:09:42,230 --> 01:09:46,170 and other things. And then provide a video camera. 863 01:10:35,230 --> 01:10:42,346 Even though it didn't make sense to me, I was more focused on... 864 01:10:42,370 --> 01:10:47,546 Batiste. That moment, I felt betrayed. 865 01:10:47,570 --> 01:10:52,106 I felt betrayed. And, and honestly, that was 866 01:10:52,130 --> 01:10:54,676 the one time I should not have hold my composure, because that 867 01:10:54,700 --> 01:10:58,276 time, I really wanted to punch him in the face. 868 01:10:58,300 --> 01:11:01,076 I'm thinking, this, this straight bullcrap. 869 01:11:01,100 --> 01:11:09,100 This straight bullcrap. I felt really like Batiste 870 01:11:13,100 --> 01:11:16,576 crossed the line. So, after everything finished 871 01:11:16,600 --> 01:11:19,776 happening, I took my wife, my kids, I took my kids out of 872 01:11:19,800 --> 01:11:23,276 school, rented a rental car, and left. 873 01:11:23,300 --> 01:11:27,246 That soiled us to a point where... 874 01:11:27,270 --> 01:11:30,306 I don't know if we, we would have, we was able to come back 875 01:11:30,330 --> 01:11:34,246 from that, that night, 'cause we started to lose respect for, 876 01:11:34,270 --> 01:11:37,176 you know, not just ourselves, but for Batiste and for what we 877 01:11:37,200 --> 01:11:40,146 was doing and... It's, it was, it was ugly. 878 01:11:40,170 --> 01:11:43,476 It was ugly. They were very disappointed 879 01:11:43,500 --> 01:11:47,606 in themselves, as well as disappointed in me. 880 01:11:47,630 --> 01:11:55,106 That all this had to happen from just one single thought of, what 881 01:11:55,130 --> 01:11:59,476 about if we can scam money out of these people? 882 01:11:59,500 --> 01:12:02,976 It was just a nasty deal, a nasty scam, that nobody really 883 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:08,770 liked. ♪ ♪ 884 01:12:14,770 --> 01:12:18,176 Assaad had rented a van for us. 'Cause I told him I didn't have 885 01:12:18,200 --> 01:12:22,346 any transportation or anything. I figured that if I just ride 886 01:12:22,370 --> 01:12:25,046 around with a camera in my hand and then say it's all I'm gonna 887 01:12:25,070 --> 01:12:29,476 do, that would satisfy as far as the end of my hustle and my 888 01:12:29,500 --> 01:12:34,076 scam. ♪ ♪ 889 01:12:34,100 --> 01:12:37,276 Batiste, he, like, "Man, these pictures right here, you 890 01:12:37,300 --> 01:12:41,946 can get these pictures online, you know, we gonna just give it 891 01:12:41,970 --> 01:12:45,276 to him, and this is the last bit we have to ever do, to deal with 892 01:12:45,300 --> 01:12:47,576 this guy. You know? This is it. 893 01:12:47,600 --> 01:12:51,976 It's over." Assaad said, "You do this one 894 01:12:52,000 --> 01:12:54,476 more project for me, take the picture, I'll give you the 895 01:12:54,500 --> 01:12:57,806 money." It was $50,000, too. 896 01:12:57,830 --> 01:13:00,676 Do you know why he wanted pictures of those buildings? 897 01:13:00,700 --> 01:13:02,676 Oh, yeah, he wanted to blow them up, oh, yeah. 898 01:13:02,700 --> 01:13:05,346 That was no secret. Did that bother you? 899 01:13:05,370 --> 01:13:13,006 No and yeah, because... I didn't believe it. 900 01:13:13,030 --> 01:13:16,146 I didn't believe it. ♪ ♪ 901 01:13:16,170 --> 01:13:18,406 You know, I'm not scared as thinking there's a real 902 01:13:18,430 --> 01:13:21,206 terrorist group, really wants some pictures of federal 903 01:13:21,230 --> 01:13:23,576 buildings. You know, I'm not scared of 904 01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:27,006 that, 'cause this guy is not no (bleep) terrorist. 905 01:13:27,030 --> 01:13:30,146 Assaad. You know, I was trying to put 906 01:13:30,170 --> 01:13:33,706 him together... why is he doing this? 907 01:13:33,730 --> 01:13:37,906 My mind can't see that it's the Feds that's pulling the strings. 908 01:13:37,930 --> 01:13:41,646 I can't imagine, you know, a government agency put this 909 01:13:41,670 --> 01:13:46,006 together. ♪ ♪ 910 01:13:46,030 --> 01:13:50,306 They take footage of the U.S. attorney's office in Miami. 911 01:13:50,330 --> 01:13:56,246 And I believe they took footage of the Miami Police Department. 912 01:13:56,270 --> 01:13:59,006 We had only asked for reconnaissance on the FBI 913 01:13:59,030 --> 01:14:02,846 office. Um, and then they provided that, 914 01:14:02,870 --> 01:14:07,930 that video footage to, to Assaad. 915 01:14:27,730 --> 01:14:29,406 They could have gone to Walmart and took a picture of 916 01:14:29,430 --> 01:14:31,706 the back. So, they could have done a 917 01:14:31,730 --> 01:14:35,346 number of things, even at that point in the investigation, but 918 01:14:35,370 --> 01:14:38,076 they didn't. What they did was, they gave who 919 01:14:38,100 --> 01:14:43,476 they thought to be an Al-Qaeda operative exactly what he had 920 01:14:43,500 --> 01:14:51,500 asked for. Batiste is mentally competent 921 01:15:01,200 --> 01:15:09,146 to represent a threat that would be of interest to somebody like 922 01:15:09,170 --> 01:15:14,476 Al-Qaeda or ISIS, you know. They, they'd love to identify 923 01:15:14,500 --> 01:15:22,500 people like this. And I'm not suggesting that 924 01:15:35,030 --> 01:15:37,006 they're gonna recruit him to put a backpack filled with 925 01:15:37,030 --> 01:15:39,746 explosives and walk into a mall. The fact that he's willing to 926 01:15:39,770 --> 01:15:43,406 assist in a conspiracy to blow up a building in the United 927 01:15:43,430 --> 01:15:47,576 States is no less dangerous. Whether that's acquiring SIM 928 01:15:47,600 --> 01:15:55,446 cards, or checking out library books, stealing a car, on its 929 01:15:55,470 --> 01:15:58,446 own, it's, doesn't seem like much. 930 01:15:58,470 --> 01:16:02,406 But if the ultimate purpose is to conduct a terrorist attack, 931 01:16:02,430 --> 01:16:06,430 well, then, yeah, I think he does represent a threat. 932 01:16:07,800 --> 01:16:15,800 ♪ ♪ (camera shutter clicks) 933 01:16:16,130 --> 01:16:20,646 So the decision was made that we were going to indict Batiste, 934 01:16:20,670 --> 01:16:26,206 the other six members of his group, and arrest them. 935 01:16:26,230 --> 01:16:28,506 One of the things that they did to earn a living was, they did 936 01:16:28,530 --> 01:16:34,446 stucco for buildings. And so, we called a contact that 937 01:16:34,470 --> 01:16:39,346 has several rental properties in Miami and says, "Would you call 938 01:16:39,370 --> 01:16:41,806 these guys and see if you could hire them to do some stucco 939 01:16:41,830 --> 01:16:46,176 work for you?" My understanding is, they were 940 01:16:46,200 --> 01:16:50,846 actually on ladders when they were arrested by the SWAT team. 941 01:16:50,870 --> 01:16:54,976 ♪ ♪ Breaking news out of Miami. 942 01:16:55,000 --> 01:16:57,846 Anti-terrorism raids by the FBI, as well as state and local 943 01:16:57,870 --> 01:17:00,506 police. Seven people right now are under 944 01:17:00,530 --> 01:17:03,246 arrest. I had Minerva there, I had my 945 01:17:03,270 --> 01:17:06,376 daughter Narcassia, and my son Prince. 946 01:17:06,400 --> 01:17:09,046 And they told me and my family to get on the ground. 947 01:17:09,070 --> 01:17:11,106 They all, they held machine guns to my kids' and my wife's 948 01:17:11,130 --> 01:17:15,446 head and my head. I was scared for my life or 949 01:17:15,470 --> 01:17:19,546 they would shoot us. They had guns drawn at us, 950 01:17:19,570 --> 01:17:22,846 pointing at my children. I thought it was just something 951 01:17:22,870 --> 01:17:27,206 of, as, a ticket he hadn't paid, or, or maybe a violation 952 01:17:27,230 --> 01:17:31,946 he had made somewhere. It was, like, 50 agents. 953 01:17:31,970 --> 01:17:34,746 They swarmed around me real quick. 954 01:17:34,770 --> 01:17:36,946 They were, like, "Get on the ground, get on the (bleep) 955 01:17:36,970 --> 01:17:39,146 ground! Get on the (bleep) ground." 956 01:17:39,170 --> 01:17:42,706 I said, "(bleep)!" I'm thinking of everything I did 957 01:17:42,730 --> 01:17:44,906 back in the day. I'm, like, "Damn, they caught up 958 01:17:44,930 --> 01:17:47,776 with me." And then the oath and then the 959 01:17:47,800 --> 01:17:50,246 pictures and everything flashed in my mind, I'm, like, "It was a 960 01:17:50,270 --> 01:17:53,146 setup." Breaking news tonight, 961 01:17:53,170 --> 01:17:56,406 terror-related arrests in Miami. FBI agents swoop in on a 962 01:17:56,430 --> 01:17:58,976 Liberty City neighborhood to foil an alleged plot to commit 963 01:17:59,000 --> 01:18:01,506 terror acts in Miami and Chicago. 964 01:18:01,530 --> 01:18:05,306 I see my brother on television saying he's a, a 965 01:18:05,330 --> 01:18:07,346 terrorist. Investigators say one of the 966 01:18:07,370 --> 01:18:10,106 seven, Narseal Batiste, was the ringleader. 967 01:18:10,130 --> 01:18:13,606 "Ringleader"?! I said, "A ringleader?!" 968 01:18:13,630 --> 01:18:16,176 Oh, my God. I said, "This boy can't even put 969 01:18:16,200 --> 01:18:18,846 cows in the pasture, how's he a ringleader?" 970 01:18:18,870 --> 01:18:21,946 I'm, like, this is no way, and I mean, I was so hurt. 971 01:18:21,970 --> 01:18:24,246 I just fell to my knees and I started crying, because I'm, 972 01:18:24,270 --> 01:18:28,406 like, "This is not true. This is not my brother." 973 01:18:28,430 --> 01:18:30,546 We now go back to Larry King's exclusive interview with 974 01:18:30,570 --> 01:18:32,570 the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller. 975 01:18:32,900 --> 01:18:35,176 Federal agents are conducting a terrorism-related 976 01:18:35,200 --> 01:18:38,006 investigation in Liberty City. That's an area of the city of 977 01:18:38,030 --> 01:18:40,146 Miami. What can you tell us? 978 01:18:40,170 --> 01:18:42,946 I can tell you that we do have ongoing operation in, in 979 01:18:42,970 --> 01:18:44,806 Miami. We are conducting a, a number of 980 01:18:44,830 --> 01:18:48,146 arrests and searches. Big concern? 981 01:18:48,170 --> 01:18:50,676 Whenever we undertake an operation like this, we would 982 01:18:50,700 --> 01:18:52,946 not do it without the approval of a judge. 983 01:18:52,970 --> 01:18:54,676 We've got search warrants and arrest warrants and the like, 984 01:18:54,700 --> 01:19:02,700 and so, yes, it's a concern. (siren blaring) 985 01:19:04,870 --> 01:19:10,076 ♪ ♪ Good morning, I'm joined 986 01:19:10,100 --> 01:19:13,046 today by FBI Deputy Director John Pistole and Assistant 987 01:19:13,070 --> 01:19:16,376 Attorney General Alice Fischer of the Criminal Division. 988 01:19:16,400 --> 01:19:18,876 The fact that there was a press conference where the 989 01:19:18,900 --> 01:19:21,876 attorney general speaks, it's a pretty big deal for the 990 01:19:21,900 --> 01:19:25,476 Department of Justice. Seven men were arrested 991 01:19:25,500 --> 01:19:29,506 yesterday in Miami on charges of, of conspiring to support the 992 01:19:29,530 --> 01:19:33,046 Al-Qaeda terrorist organization by planning attacks on numerous 993 01:19:33,070 --> 01:19:37,146 targets, including bombing the Sears Tower in Chicago... 994 01:19:37,170 --> 01:19:39,346 Listen, we're gonna go after people that engage in any, any 995 01:19:39,370 --> 01:19:42,146 kind of contact that's similar to this. 996 01:19:42,170 --> 01:19:45,276 And I think that's a very powerful message, a very 997 01:19:45,300 --> 01:19:47,946 powerful tool, that the attorney general is using the stick of 998 01:19:47,970 --> 01:19:50,146 the Department of Justice to try to discourage this kind of 999 01:19:50,170 --> 01:19:53,776 behavior from happening again. These individuals wished to wage 1000 01:19:53,800 --> 01:19:58,576 a, a "full ground war against the United States." 1001 01:19:58,600 --> 01:20:04,846 The ridiculousness of that opening announcement by Gonzales 1002 01:20:04,870 --> 01:20:10,876 is astounding. I think I wrote that, "Wage a 1003 01:20:10,900 --> 01:20:12,746 ground war against the United States? 1004 01:20:12,770 --> 01:20:15,276 This group couldn't wage a ground war against a jar of 1005 01:20:15,300 --> 01:20:17,576 peppercorns." It was clear that from the 1006 01:20:17,600 --> 01:20:19,506 highest levels of the Department of Justice, that this 1007 01:20:19,530 --> 01:20:22,406 prosecution had been approved and was being touted as, like, a 1008 01:20:22,430 --> 01:20:26,806 success of the government's counter-terrorism program. 1009 01:20:26,830 --> 01:20:29,846 I think what struck everyone was that Alberto Gonzales seemed to 1010 01:20:29,870 --> 01:20:33,846 know very little about the specifics of this case. 1011 01:20:33,870 --> 01:20:38,006 Did any of the, uh, men have any actual contact with any 1012 01:20:38,030 --> 01:20:41,746 members of Al-Qaeda, that you know of? 1013 01:20:41,770 --> 01:20:44,076 Any...? No. 1014 01:20:44,100 --> 01:20:46,246 Yeah. The, the answer to that, the 1015 01:20:46,270 --> 01:20:48,146 answer to that is no. They had no money. 1016 01:20:48,170 --> 01:20:50,876 They had no weapons. They weren't even Islamic 1017 01:20:50,900 --> 01:20:54,606 extremists. Ultimately, we realized it was a 1018 01:20:54,630 --> 01:20:57,646 sting operation. The way this all unfolded seemed 1019 01:20:57,670 --> 01:21:01,746 very improbable. Very forced. 1020 01:21:01,770 --> 01:21:05,946 And it really looked like the FBI had led these men down the 1021 01:21:05,970 --> 01:21:08,646 primrose path. Was there anything against 1022 01:21:08,670 --> 01:21:11,446 the Sears Tower except this one apparent discuss... just kind of 1023 01:21:11,470 --> 01:21:13,846 a mention of the Sears Tower? Doesn't look like they ever took 1024 01:21:13,870 --> 01:21:16,806 pictures or did any of...? One of the individuals was 1025 01:21:16,830 --> 01:21:19,776 familiar with the Sears Tower, had worked in Chicago, and had 1026 01:21:19,800 --> 01:21:21,906 been there. So was familiar with the, with 1027 01:21:21,930 --> 01:21:24,346 the tower. I wanted to distinguish this for 1028 01:21:24,370 --> 01:21:27,106 the media, 'cause one of my concerns was that we not 1029 01:21:27,130 --> 01:21:30,676 over-hype things. That, you know, this is, this 1030 01:21:30,700 --> 01:21:35,376 is another 9/11 cell, that they're ready, willing, and able 1031 01:21:35,400 --> 01:21:38,276 to die and had means of accomplishing their attacks. 1032 01:21:38,300 --> 01:21:41,346 And so, I described it as an, that this was an aspirational 1033 01:21:41,370 --> 01:21:43,546 group rather than an operational group. 1034 01:21:43,570 --> 01:21:45,846 In terms of the plans, it was more aspirational than, than 1035 01:21:45,870 --> 01:21:48,776 operational. I think the public and the 1036 01:21:48,800 --> 01:21:52,046 media began to realize very quickly that this was just not a 1037 01:21:52,070 --> 01:21:55,546 strong case. That it was a weak case. 1038 01:21:55,570 --> 01:21:57,546 It looks like these guys were actually asking for material 1039 01:21:57,570 --> 01:21:59,876 support from what they thought was Al-Qaeda. 1040 01:21:59,900 --> 01:22:02,576 These, these guys couldn't buy boots on their own? 1041 01:22:02,600 --> 01:22:06,106 They don't sound like very sophisticated or, or, you know, 1042 01:22:06,130 --> 01:22:10,306 effective operators. These guys didn't have, you 1043 01:22:10,330 --> 01:22:15,606 know, the ability to, you know, blow up anything, let alone the 1044 01:22:15,630 --> 01:22:18,176 Sears Tower. Did you find any explosives, 1045 01:22:18,200 --> 01:22:21,006 weapons...? And you raise a, a good 1046 01:22:21,030 --> 01:22:23,006 point. You know, you know, our 1047 01:22:23,030 --> 01:22:26,346 philosophy here is that we try to identify plots in the 1048 01:22:26,370 --> 01:22:30,806 earliest stages possible, because we don't know what we, 1049 01:22:30,830 --> 01:22:34,206 what we don't know about, about a terrorism plot. 1050 01:22:34,230 --> 01:22:37,276 You know, I hate to criticize an attorney general, but when he 1051 01:22:37,300 --> 01:22:42,576 said, "We had taken out an Al-Qaeda cell," yes, I... 1052 01:22:42,600 --> 01:22:47,376 I knew that was going to be a problem. 1053 01:22:47,400 --> 01:22:51,046 He went overboard. They were not an Al-Qaeda cell. 1054 01:22:51,070 --> 01:22:53,206 They were not directed by Al-Qaeda. 1055 01:22:53,230 --> 01:22:55,576 You know, that is an overstatement. 1056 01:22:55,600 --> 01:22:58,506 So the charges were valid. It was, it was the over-hyping 1057 01:22:58,530 --> 01:23:01,246 of the case. So they're charged with 1058 01:23:01,270 --> 01:23:03,806 providing material support to a terrorist organization, namely 1059 01:23:03,830 --> 01:23:07,606 Al-Qaeda, even though there was no actual connection to 1060 01:23:07,630 --> 01:23:10,346 Al-Qaeda. The problem with terrorism 1061 01:23:10,370 --> 01:23:13,606 cases is, you have to stop the act. 1062 01:23:13,630 --> 01:23:17,276 And so, you really, in a way, have to predict who's going to 1063 01:23:17,300 --> 01:23:21,046 do what. And so, stings are very 1064 01:23:21,070 --> 01:23:25,076 important, but if you overstate what you have done in a sting, 1065 01:23:25,100 --> 01:23:28,946 then people begin to lose confidence in what you're doing. 1066 01:23:28,970 --> 01:23:31,606 They think that you're just out there creating a terrorist 1067 01:23:31,630 --> 01:23:33,976 yourself. I had been doing undercover 1068 01:23:34,000 --> 01:23:37,576 work in terrorism cases for a decade before 9/11. 1069 01:23:37,600 --> 01:23:42,746 And before 9/11, if I had called FBI headquarters and said, "I 1070 01:23:42,770 --> 01:23:45,906 want to initiate an undercover operation targeting a terrorist 1071 01:23:45,930 --> 01:23:49,906 group," uh, the first question they would have asked me is, 1072 01:23:49,930 --> 01:23:52,106 "Okay, what terrorist group do this, these individuals belong 1073 01:23:52,130 --> 01:23:55,146 to?" And if I said, "Well, they don't 1074 01:23:55,170 --> 01:23:57,576 actually belong to a terrorist group, they're just saying 1075 01:23:57,600 --> 01:24:01,246 things that sound kind of scary and things that terrorists 1076 01:24:01,270 --> 01:24:03,806 might say." And they would say, "Okay, well, 1077 01:24:03,830 --> 01:24:05,876 what kind of weapons do they have?" 1078 01:24:05,900 --> 01:24:08,846 And if I replied, "Well, they don't actually have any weapons, 1079 01:24:08,870 --> 01:24:13,076 and part of the plot would be to supply them with weapons." 1080 01:24:13,100 --> 01:24:16,376 And then they would say, "Well, what plot do they have in mind?" 1081 01:24:16,400 --> 01:24:18,846 And I would say, "Well, they haven't actually identified a 1082 01:24:18,870 --> 01:24:20,846 plot yet. Part of the operation would be 1083 01:24:20,870 --> 01:24:25,176 to identify a plot and then provide them the weapons so that 1084 01:24:25,200 --> 01:24:29,446 they could be terrorists." Uh, they would have sent me 1085 01:24:29,470 --> 01:24:31,576 for counseling. Thank you. 1086 01:24:31,600 --> 01:24:35,306 Thank you. Through 2005 and 2006, there 1087 01:24:35,330 --> 01:24:39,376 had been a very heated debate over extending expiring 1088 01:24:39,400 --> 01:24:42,246 provisions of the Patriot Act. So I think that there was great 1089 01:24:42,270 --> 01:24:46,746 pressure on the FBI to demonstrate both that there was 1090 01:24:46,770 --> 01:24:50,646 a powerful threat that still existed inside the United States 1091 01:24:50,670 --> 01:24:54,746 that justified this expanded surveillance authority, and that 1092 01:24:54,770 --> 01:24:58,246 the tools that they had been given through the Patriot Act 1093 01:24:58,270 --> 01:25:02,206 were actually effective in identifying these plots. 1094 01:25:02,230 --> 01:25:07,546 (siren blaring) Correctional officers in the 1095 01:25:07,570 --> 01:25:10,846 building all of a sudden start running to my cell and pointing 1096 01:25:10,870 --> 01:25:14,276 at me, and bringing people. So, it's, like, all of a sudden, 1097 01:25:14,300 --> 01:25:16,676 everybody coming to take a look at me. 1098 01:25:16,700 --> 01:25:20,176 And it was, like, "Well, this is a terrorism case. 1099 01:25:20,200 --> 01:25:24,046 You know, you finna get shipped to Guantanamo." 1100 01:25:24,070 --> 01:25:26,306 When he said that, I could feel my stomach turn. 1101 01:25:26,330 --> 01:25:29,246 I think for the next three days, I had, like, diarrhea... it 1102 01:25:29,270 --> 01:25:32,446 was just, it was a shock. And then I knew what I was 1103 01:25:32,470 --> 01:25:35,446 getting charged with, and, you know, I just, I just hid up 1104 01:25:35,470 --> 01:25:40,106 under the, um, the blanket, you know, while people come point at 1105 01:25:40,130 --> 01:25:44,506 me, and, you know, it was, it was horrifying. 1106 01:25:44,530 --> 01:25:46,876 If they were homegrown terrorists, they grew up here, 1107 01:25:46,900 --> 01:25:50,346 on this Miami street. Stanley Phanor was born in this 1108 01:25:50,370 --> 01:25:52,846 house. Lyglenson Lemorin moved in 1109 01:25:52,870 --> 01:25:56,506 across the street with his mom when he was just six. 1110 01:25:56,530 --> 01:26:00,406 And today, the two mothers, both Haitian, told us in disbelief 1111 01:26:00,430 --> 01:26:04,976 there were no terrorists raised on 45th Street. 1112 01:26:05,000 --> 01:26:08,246 They have this, everything. They have this to put on... 1113 01:26:08,270 --> 01:26:11,346 (indistinct) And they calling him 1114 01:26:11,370 --> 01:26:16,006 illegal immigrant on the TV. My son is good from your 1115 01:26:16,030 --> 01:26:23,306 country! ♪ ♪ 1116 01:26:23,330 --> 01:26:26,106 The objective then becomes to solicit the cooperation of one 1117 01:26:26,130 --> 01:26:29,576 of the defendants. To flip someone. 1118 01:26:29,600 --> 01:26:33,476 And he was telling me, "Are you seriously thinking about 1119 01:26:33,500 --> 01:26:36,076 spending the rest of your life in prison?" 1120 01:26:36,100 --> 01:26:39,376 I said, "Man, I don't wanna spend the rest of my life in 1121 01:26:39,400 --> 01:26:41,406 prison." They're, like, "Okay, then, so 1122 01:26:41,430 --> 01:26:45,476 the only way you could do that is by signing these papers." 1123 01:26:45,500 --> 01:26:48,776 I'm, like, "I'mma set myself free without signing those 1124 01:26:48,800 --> 01:26:50,776 papers." We was looking at the younger 1125 01:26:50,800 --> 01:26:54,146 brothers, um, Naudimar and B. And we was, like, "You know 1126 01:26:54,170 --> 01:26:57,176 what, just, um, just sign what you gotta sign." 1127 01:26:57,200 --> 01:27:05,200 You know what I'm... ♪ ♪ 1128 01:27:30,330 --> 01:27:35,806 (shuddered breath) We told them brothers, Naudimar 1129 01:27:35,830 --> 01:27:39,176 and B, "Man, sign what you gotta sign, man, and get out of 1130 01:27:39,200 --> 01:27:41,076 this. You know, you real young." 1131 01:27:41,100 --> 01:27:44,576 And, you know, they got upset. They was, like, "No, we're not 1132 01:27:44,600 --> 01:27:47,346 signing." We facing 70 years and three 1133 01:27:47,370 --> 01:27:51,046 life sentences, and, you know, them brothers was, like, nah, 1134 01:27:51,070 --> 01:27:53,406 they not. You know, and I definitely 1135 01:27:53,430 --> 01:27:56,676 wasn't. You know, so... 1136 01:27:56,700 --> 01:28:00,246 Yeah, nobody was willing to sign off that they was 1137 01:28:00,270 --> 01:28:02,306 terrorism. But more so, nobody was willing 1138 01:28:02,330 --> 01:28:10,330 to... Yeah, nobody was willing to send 1139 01:28:10,970 --> 01:28:13,106 they brother, who they know what we was out there doing in 1140 01:28:13,130 --> 01:28:17,276 them streets, you know, up the road for a charge that, that 1141 01:28:17,300 --> 01:28:20,406 wasn't us. I refused every plea. 1142 01:28:20,430 --> 01:28:22,206 I talked to my lawyer, I told my lawyer... my lawyer couldn't 1143 01:28:22,230 --> 01:28:24,006 understand it. I told him that's basically how 1144 01:28:24,030 --> 01:28:26,046 I got to be, because I was with these brothers. 1145 01:28:26,070 --> 01:28:29,976 I knew what they was about. I knew if I get, take any plea, 1146 01:28:30,000 --> 01:28:32,506 even regardless of plea that said that I didn't know nothing 1147 01:28:32,530 --> 01:28:35,806 about that, then I'm, then it actually saying something about 1148 01:28:35,830 --> 01:28:38,546 my, my brothers that's left in there that I knew they was not 1149 01:28:38,570 --> 01:28:41,106 about what they say they was about. 1150 01:28:41,130 --> 01:28:43,506 Prosecutors laid out their case against seven men dubbed 1151 01:28:43,530 --> 01:28:46,876 the Liberty City Seven, accused of conspiring to blow up the 1152 01:28:46,900 --> 01:28:51,506 Sears Tower in Chicago. You have to understand that, 1153 01:28:51,530 --> 01:28:55,376 in the counter-terrorism field, the criminal penalties 1154 01:28:55,400 --> 01:28:58,076 associated with the laws that are used, particularly laws like 1155 01:28:58,100 --> 01:29:01,206 the material support for terrorism law, come with 1156 01:29:01,230 --> 01:29:04,076 draconian penalties. So, if a defense attorney went 1157 01:29:04,100 --> 01:29:07,776 to a client who was charged with terrorism charges and said, 1158 01:29:07,800 --> 01:29:10,906 "Hey, look, you know, you're looking at 30 or 40 years in 1159 01:29:10,930 --> 01:29:14,276 jail if you go to trial and are convicted, but the government's 1160 01:29:14,300 --> 01:29:17,576 offering you to plead out to five years," even somebody who 1161 01:29:17,600 --> 01:29:22,246 is entirely innocent or believes that they were induced 1162 01:29:22,270 --> 01:29:26,906 into committing some kind of crime, it wouldn't be unusual 1163 01:29:26,930 --> 01:29:31,076 for them to plead guilty to it. So, the Liberty City Seven case 1164 01:29:31,100 --> 01:29:36,446 was fascinating to me, both because it showed me that all of 1165 01:29:36,470 --> 01:29:40,076 the defendants were willing to go to trial, showed me that they 1166 01:29:40,100 --> 01:29:42,446 were convinced they had done nothing wrong. 1167 01:29:42,470 --> 01:29:45,176 And moreover, it gave one of the very first opportunities to 1168 01:29:45,200 --> 01:29:50,006 really examine the FBI's tactics, because all of the 1169 01:29:50,030 --> 01:29:52,776 information would come out through the criminal trial. 1170 01:29:52,800 --> 01:29:55,446 The challenge for the Liberty Seven defense: the suspects did 1171 01:29:55,470 --> 01:29:59,606 indeed pledge an oath to Al-Qaeda. 1172 01:29:59,630 --> 01:30:02,346 When you have the attorney general of the United States 1173 01:30:02,370 --> 01:30:05,706 having a press conference, I realized that I was in for a 1174 01:30:05,730 --> 01:30:11,546 major battle going forward. Our story was a simple one: they 1175 01:30:11,570 --> 01:30:13,846 didn't have the manner and means, they had no money... they 1176 01:30:13,870 --> 01:30:20,176 barely had vehicles. They didn't have horses and they 1177 01:30:20,200 --> 01:30:23,446 certainly didn't have bombs. This is a case manufactured 1178 01:30:23,470 --> 01:30:26,176 primarily by the government, or in my case, my client's case, 1179 01:30:26,200 --> 01:30:28,906 this wasn't his idea. It was just a complete, you 1180 01:30:28,930 --> 01:30:32,146 know, setup by the government. The plot was being moved forward 1181 01:30:32,170 --> 01:30:38,276 by the informants and the FBI. Who directed their activities. 1182 01:30:38,300 --> 01:30:42,046 They ran this whole show. They, they provided the script. 1183 01:30:42,070 --> 01:30:45,976 They provided the choreography, okay? 1184 01:30:46,000 --> 01:30:49,706 They provided the direction. This was not a terrorist case at 1185 01:30:49,730 --> 01:30:55,806 all, let alone a case where the actors, the defendants, were 1186 01:30:55,830 --> 01:31:00,046 moving the plot forward. They invented the players, 1187 01:31:00,070 --> 01:31:02,946 they invented the theme, they invented how it was gonna go 1188 01:31:02,970 --> 01:31:05,706 down. They, they wrote this script. 1189 01:31:05,730 --> 01:31:08,276 They wrote this script. One of the other defense 1190 01:31:08,300 --> 01:31:11,576 attorneys said this was all really a inner-city scam. 1191 01:31:11,600 --> 01:31:14,246 Well, we do know that, first of all, that one of the things 1192 01:31:14,270 --> 01:31:17,406 that was done in this case was that there was a serious 1193 01:31:17,430 --> 01:31:19,876 question with regard to $50,000 being given to these individuals 1194 01:31:19,900 --> 01:31:22,506 to help them to revitalize this building. 1195 01:31:22,530 --> 01:31:25,046 Here's Narseal saying, "We've gotta get this $50,000, so, man, 1196 01:31:25,070 --> 01:31:27,806 just go along with this plan for me, and then we're gonna be 1197 01:31:27,830 --> 01:31:30,476 good after that. Just go along with it. 1198 01:31:30,500 --> 01:31:32,676 No, we're not gonna do anything, but just go along with it." 1199 01:31:32,700 --> 01:31:35,376 And so, the defense became that, that these guys were doing 1200 01:31:35,400 --> 01:31:38,976 this just for the money, that this was one big scam. 1201 01:31:39,000 --> 01:31:43,346 It would have been a scam. It would have been a scam had he 1202 01:31:43,370 --> 01:31:48,206 given us pictures of the Waffle House. 1203 01:31:48,230 --> 01:31:51,976 Or, you know, given us a blank disc. 1204 01:31:52,000 --> 01:31:58,246 Or, or just not have given us footage of the FBI office, the 1205 01:31:58,270 --> 01:32:02,776 U.S. attorney's office, and the Miami Police Department. 1206 01:32:02,800 --> 01:32:08,776 So, it's not a scam. I mean, that is a, an executed 1207 01:32:08,800 --> 01:32:10,776 agreement. Whether these people were 1208 01:32:10,800 --> 01:32:14,546 being paid or not, the question is, are they willing to commit 1209 01:32:14,570 --> 01:32:18,276 these acts? Whether it's for money or it's 1210 01:32:18,300 --> 01:32:23,446 for free. So it really made no difference. 1211 01:32:23,470 --> 01:32:26,446 Prosecutors told the jury they'll hear from among 15,000 1212 01:32:26,470 --> 01:32:30,400 government recordings of the group's plan to create chaos. 1213 01:32:50,330 --> 01:32:52,776 I'm hearing this for the first time. 1214 01:32:52,800 --> 01:32:56,146 Now I know why we got indicted. Because in my mind, I thought 1215 01:32:56,170 --> 01:33:00,530 the only meetings that occurred was the ones I was there. 1216 01:33:06,200 --> 01:33:09,746 He's a (bleep) nut. What the (bleep) is you running 1217 01:33:09,770 --> 01:33:13,230 your (bleep)-damn mouth for? On and on and on. 1218 01:33:22,970 --> 01:33:25,476 My life was on the line, but I just couldn't believe the 1219 01:33:25,500 --> 01:33:28,830 words that was coming out of Batiste's mouth. 1220 01:33:34,800 --> 01:33:39,200 I couldn't believe I was on trial for these conversations. 1221 01:33:40,030 --> 01:33:43,376 ♪ ♪ Narseal got on the stand. 1222 01:33:43,400 --> 01:33:47,206 I was literally yelling at him about how his stupidity and the 1223 01:33:47,230 --> 01:33:49,676 things he did got these guys in trouble. 1224 01:33:49,700 --> 01:33:51,340 And he's sitting up there and he's crying. 1225 01:33:51,730 --> 01:33:53,606 And, you know, and I said, "And here you are. 1226 01:33:53,630 --> 01:33:57,346 You stepped off what we call a, a... the square, if you will, 1227 01:33:57,370 --> 01:34:00,506 which is of righteousness, and you led these guys down, you 1228 01:34:00,530 --> 01:34:03,706 know, to the wrong path. And everybody is now sitting up 1229 01:34:03,730 --> 01:34:06,276 here indicted by a federal government, looking at and being 1230 01:34:06,300 --> 01:34:09,776 called terrorists," and he's... He's bawling, he's crying. 1231 01:34:09,800 --> 01:34:14,076 I cried about it on the witness stand. 1232 01:34:14,100 --> 01:34:19,546 Said it was something that I really didn't mean inside. 1233 01:34:19,570 --> 01:34:21,606 That I was just going along with Abbas's game, using his 1234 01:34:21,630 --> 01:34:25,276 language. Him and Assaad. 1235 01:34:25,300 --> 01:34:27,306 I wanted to stand up and shout and say that, "I'm not this 1236 01:34:27,330 --> 01:34:30,446 person. I'm really a good person on the 1237 01:34:30,470 --> 01:34:34,476 inside. I would never do these things. 1238 01:34:34,500 --> 01:34:40,846 It was just a con game." ♪ ♪ 1239 01:34:40,870 --> 01:34:44,276 I kind of felt that he should have been a little stronger. 1240 01:34:44,300 --> 01:34:46,776 You know what I mean? 'Cause we was all together, you 1241 01:34:46,800 --> 01:34:49,646 know, trying to give each other support. 1242 01:34:49,670 --> 01:34:53,346 But he'll just, um, he'll just ball up in a corner, and it was 1243 01:34:53,370 --> 01:34:58,076 just, it was a lot of guilt. You know, of the things he said, 1244 01:34:58,100 --> 01:35:01,446 you know. You know, all of us getting 1245 01:35:01,470 --> 01:35:07,046 locked up with him and, you know, his family image, you 1246 01:35:07,070 --> 01:35:11,776 know, everything was destroyed and, you know, it took a toll on 1247 01:35:11,800 --> 01:35:19,376 him. ♪ ♪ 1248 01:35:19,400 --> 01:35:25,976 I did a, maybe a year and eight months in Miami FDC. 1249 01:35:26,000 --> 01:35:34,000 I was in solitary confinement. They call it the SHU. 1250 01:35:34,100 --> 01:35:37,676 Yeah, you probably go crazy in there, you know, and I tell 1251 01:35:37,700 --> 01:35:41,406 people maybe I am, maybe I'm not, I... 1252 01:35:41,430 --> 01:35:44,346 But it's, um... You don't do that to another 1253 01:35:44,370 --> 01:35:50,106 human being. ♪ ♪ 1254 01:35:50,130 --> 01:35:55,346 One day, a guy walked by me. And then he, like, said, "What's 1255 01:35:55,370 --> 01:35:58,446 up?" to me with just a head nod. And, you know, I was at the 1256 01:35:58,470 --> 01:36:02,046 little window, it's like a little... six-inch window, and 1257 01:36:02,070 --> 01:36:04,106 I'm looking, and I gave him a head nod. 1258 01:36:04,130 --> 01:36:06,676 And then I walked back to my chair, and I'm just sitting 1259 01:36:06,700 --> 01:36:10,306 there, and it hit me, "I just seen Batiste!" 1260 01:36:10,330 --> 01:36:14,706 So, I... I couldn't believe it. 1261 01:36:14,730 --> 01:36:17,446 You know, I couldn't believe it. He was a totally different 1262 01:36:17,470 --> 01:36:19,476 person. He was skin and bones and, you 1263 01:36:19,500 --> 01:36:23,446 know, it was times I hear... I heard him, you know, screaming 1264 01:36:23,470 --> 01:36:27,576 in his cell. I think it just about killed 1265 01:36:27,600 --> 01:36:30,146 him. I think it just about killed 1266 01:36:30,170 --> 01:36:33,806 him. ♪ ♪ 1267 01:36:33,830 --> 01:36:36,146 After two long months of trial, the jurors couldn't 1268 01:36:36,170 --> 01:36:38,876 decide any of the charges for the so-called Liberty City 1269 01:36:38,900 --> 01:36:40,976 Seven. There was a lot of 1270 01:36:41,000 --> 01:36:43,376 disagreement, but all of the jurors worked very hard. 1271 01:36:43,400 --> 01:36:46,706 Um, everybody gave it, gave it their all and came here every 1272 01:36:46,730 --> 01:36:50,876 day, for many, many months, and uh, and did the best that we 1273 01:36:50,900 --> 01:36:53,046 could. I think the jury as a whole kind 1274 01:36:53,070 --> 01:36:58,006 of felt sorry for these guys. That they got, they've wound 1275 01:36:58,030 --> 01:37:01,846 themselves up in this position, but, you know, they, to some 1276 01:37:01,870 --> 01:37:06,076 extent, they did it themselves. There were a few people that 1277 01:37:06,100 --> 01:37:08,846 really bought into this idea that they were just doing this 1278 01:37:08,870 --> 01:37:13,846 to scam this guy out of money. Which seems sort of odd, like, 1279 01:37:13,870 --> 01:37:16,376 um, to be scamming Al-Qaeda. They're not the type of people 1280 01:37:16,400 --> 01:37:19,176 that you would think about really running a scam on, I 1281 01:37:19,200 --> 01:37:21,606 wouldn't think. They would seem like kind of 1282 01:37:21,630 --> 01:37:25,506 scary guys to, to cross. That's why I think there was a 1283 01:37:25,530 --> 01:37:28,746 hung jury, except that one defendant who they felt really 1284 01:37:28,770 --> 01:37:31,546 had very little connection and wasn't around for most of this, 1285 01:37:31,570 --> 01:37:35,646 and we dismissed the case against him. 1286 01:37:35,670 --> 01:37:39,106 Found him not guilty. One of seven Miami men 1287 01:37:39,130 --> 01:37:41,546 accused of plotting to join forces with Al-Qaeda has been 1288 01:37:41,570 --> 01:37:44,406 acquitted, and a mistrial has been declared for the six other 1289 01:37:44,430 --> 01:37:47,476 men. They said, "Lyglenson Lemorin 1290 01:37:47,500 --> 01:37:49,546 not guilty for the first charge. Lyglenson Lemorin not guilty 1291 01:37:49,570 --> 01:37:52,006 for the second charge, for the third charge, for the fourth 1292 01:37:52,030 --> 01:37:53,806 charge." And everybody was so happy. 1293 01:37:53,830 --> 01:37:55,506 Was he crying? I couldn't tell... 1294 01:37:55,530 --> 01:37:57,306 Yes, we both were. Very emotional. 1295 01:37:57,330 --> 01:38:00,046 Levi was found not guilty at the first trial. 1296 01:38:00,070 --> 01:38:06,146 And it was fantastic. Thought he'd be able to move on 1297 01:38:06,170 --> 01:38:08,776 with his life. Well, I went back, we all 1298 01:38:08,800 --> 01:38:11,146 thought I'm going home, packed my stuff, and then that's when 1299 01:38:11,170 --> 01:38:18,370 Immigration came and got me. ♪ ♪ 1300 01:38:22,130 --> 01:38:26,976 The judge found that he had associated himself with a 1301 01:38:27,000 --> 01:38:33,776 terrorist group, and that in and of itself was deportable. 1302 01:38:33,800 --> 01:38:37,246 You look at my case, I have no conviction... nothing. 1303 01:38:37,270 --> 01:38:40,346 That trial was my only thing and I've been working all my life. 1304 01:38:40,370 --> 01:38:43,576 I got kids, wife. I married a American. 1305 01:38:43,600 --> 01:38:46,876 I beat the case. I beat the case and I'm sent 1306 01:38:46,900 --> 01:38:49,446 home. You can be found not guilty, 1307 01:38:49,470 --> 01:38:52,306 but it still doesn't mean you're not guilty in the eyes of the 1308 01:38:52,330 --> 01:38:57,576 U.S. government. He couldn't even come back to 1309 01:38:57,600 --> 01:39:00,906 the United States for his 15-year-old son's funeral when 1310 01:39:00,930 --> 01:39:04,176 he was killed, um, along the highway, trying to assist a 1311 01:39:04,200 --> 01:39:10,676 motorist who had been stalled and their car had broken down. 1312 01:39:10,700 --> 01:39:13,276 It's a pain where you can't... 1313 01:39:13,300 --> 01:39:15,776 You don't know, it's almost like your heart's closing and 1314 01:39:15,800 --> 01:39:19,346 you don't know what to do. And I zoned out. 1315 01:39:19,370 --> 01:39:22,746 You know, life start over, life ain't finished. 1316 01:39:22,770 --> 01:39:24,776 God is great. I'mma continue to be me. 1317 01:39:24,800 --> 01:39:27,146 I'mma continue to strive to better myself. 1318 01:39:27,170 --> 01:39:30,746 (indistinct chatter) It's really, nothing changed 1319 01:39:30,770 --> 01:39:33,976 about how I feel America. I love America. 1320 01:39:34,000 --> 01:39:37,876 America's a great country. But what happened to us, it's 1321 01:39:37,900 --> 01:39:41,606 not America that did it. You know, it's not America. 1322 01:39:41,630 --> 01:39:48,746 It's a few people in America that people put their trust in. 1323 01:39:48,770 --> 01:39:51,676 Federal prosecutors say they will retry the six men on whom 1324 01:39:51,700 --> 01:39:54,546 the jurors deadlocked. Judge Joan Lenard set jury 1325 01:39:54,570 --> 01:39:58,306 selection for January. It's hard to be able to look 1326 01:39:58,330 --> 01:40:01,676 at the media once you've arrested somebody and called 1327 01:40:01,700 --> 01:40:04,906 them a terrorist, and then drop the case against them after one 1328 01:40:04,930 --> 01:40:06,976 trial, saying, "Okay, we're gonna let them back out on the 1329 01:40:07,000 --> 01:40:09,506 streets to complete what they were trying to do." 1330 01:40:09,530 --> 01:40:11,946 And so the government had to retry the case. 1331 01:40:11,970 --> 01:40:15,476 And they tried it a second time. And it hung a second time for 1332 01:40:15,500 --> 01:40:18,246 the same reasons. We did, we tried it again, 1333 01:40:18,270 --> 01:40:22,006 and there was another mistrial. A federal judge has declared 1334 01:40:22,030 --> 01:40:24,546 another mistrial. Prosecutors now have a week to 1335 01:40:24,570 --> 01:40:27,806 decide if they're going to try them for a third time. 1336 01:40:27,830 --> 01:40:33,376 When that trial came to, um, a hung jury again, we just knew 1337 01:40:33,400 --> 01:40:35,806 they was gonna throw this case out. 1338 01:40:35,830 --> 01:40:38,546 There ain't no way they coming back again for another trial 1339 01:40:38,570 --> 01:40:40,976 with us, 'cause it was so embarrassing. 1340 01:40:41,000 --> 01:40:43,676 My experience has been, it's, it's two times and they're done. 1341 01:40:43,700 --> 01:40:45,906 But it depends on the case. If they want somebody bad 1342 01:40:45,930 --> 01:40:49,706 enough, they continue to go after the person. 1343 01:40:49,730 --> 01:40:52,206 And they wanted these guys, badly. 1344 01:40:52,230 --> 01:40:54,906 Two juries failed to reach a verdict. 1345 01:40:54,930 --> 01:40:59,646 Now a third jury will try. Imagine if we did nothing 1346 01:40:59,670 --> 01:41:05,206 about this case, and instead of the FBI coming to, to Batiste, 1347 01:41:05,230 --> 01:41:07,806 one of these organizations actually came to Batiste and 1348 01:41:07,830 --> 01:41:12,776 provided him the explosives. So, could we ignore it? 1349 01:41:12,800 --> 01:41:16,076 And if we had ignored it, and he had blown up a building, he had 1350 01:41:16,100 --> 01:41:19,846 done damage to this building you're sitting in right now, and 1351 01:41:19,870 --> 01:41:24,346 people were killed, wouldn't you be coming back to us to 1352 01:41:24,370 --> 01:41:26,106 say, "Why didn't you do something about it? 1353 01:41:26,130 --> 01:41:28,976 Why did you ignore it?" This is the question: do you 1354 01:41:29,000 --> 01:41:32,276 want us to stop them before they commit this kind of crime, or, 1355 01:41:32,300 --> 01:41:35,046 or do you want to let it happen first? 1356 01:41:35,070 --> 01:41:37,076 So the government said, "We're gonna give this one last 1357 01:41:37,100 --> 01:41:39,306 try. A third time." 1358 01:41:39,330 --> 01:41:43,376 And each time they tried the case, the case got smaller, and 1359 01:41:43,400 --> 01:41:47,806 more defined and more focused. And even with the third trial, 1360 01:41:47,830 --> 01:41:52,576 they really flailed, because the jurors were out for almost 12, 1361 01:41:52,600 --> 01:41:55,346 13 days. So, it looked like it was gonna 1362 01:41:55,370 --> 01:41:57,906 be another hung jury. The jury went out for 1363 01:41:57,930 --> 01:42:01,406 deliberations and there was one juror who refused to deliberate. 1364 01:42:01,430 --> 01:42:04,806 She just refused. So, the judge had to excuse that 1365 01:42:04,830 --> 01:42:09,106 juror. Within 24 hours, an alternate 1366 01:42:09,130 --> 01:42:15,006 was brought in and he joined the other 11 and convicted five of 1367 01:42:15,030 --> 01:42:19,446 the six. A sixth defendant was found not 1368 01:42:19,470 --> 01:42:21,776 guilty. After the verdict was read, 1369 01:42:21,800 --> 01:42:24,476 the one Liberty Six member who was acquitted called the 1370 01:42:24,500 --> 01:42:27,376 prosecution of his friends "bogus." 1371 01:42:27,400 --> 01:42:29,206 You had no intention of doing any of the things that you 1372 01:42:29,230 --> 01:42:31,076 talked about? It was all a whole bunch of 1373 01:42:31,100 --> 01:42:33,806 hogwash from the beginning. You weren't serious about any 1374 01:42:33,830 --> 01:42:35,506 of it? Nobody was serious about 1375 01:42:35,530 --> 01:42:37,206 nothing. It's not real. 1376 01:42:37,230 --> 01:42:39,746 Give us a little space, please. 1377 01:42:39,770 --> 01:42:43,576 ♪ ♪ It took three years and three 1378 01:42:43,600 --> 01:42:47,046 trials, but a group of Florida men accused in a plot to destroy 1379 01:42:47,070 --> 01:42:52,546 Chicago's Sears Tower are each facing decades in prison. 1380 01:42:52,570 --> 01:43:00,570 ♪ ♪ I felt like I got hit in the 1381 01:43:05,000 --> 01:43:13,000 head with an 80-ton concrete ball or something. 1382 01:43:13,670 --> 01:43:21,670 Or knocked out. I cried. 1383 01:43:22,830 --> 01:43:30,830 Thought my life was over. All based on what I said. 1384 01:43:32,370 --> 01:43:36,376 A certain part of me just died there. 1385 01:43:36,400 --> 01:43:40,046 And now, I was left with four young children to raise without 1386 01:43:40,070 --> 01:43:44,746 no other family, no other help. But just me and them. 1387 01:43:44,770 --> 01:43:47,476 You're taking this innocent man away from his... and all the 1388 01:43:47,500 --> 01:43:51,246 rest of these young men... away from their families, without no 1389 01:43:51,270 --> 01:43:53,876 evidence. I can't be living this. 1390 01:43:53,900 --> 01:43:57,646 I can't. I can't be living this. 1391 01:43:57,670 --> 01:44:05,576 ♪ ♪ I have a responsibility to 1392 01:44:05,600 --> 01:44:09,946 the people that I, I work for, which are the citizens of the 1393 01:44:09,970 --> 01:44:14,346 United States, to, to go where the facts and evidence leads. 1394 01:44:14,370 --> 01:44:16,776 I've looked at this a thousand ways to Sunday. 1395 01:44:16,800 --> 01:44:21,046 I wish I could say, "Look, this is what happened, and, and this 1396 01:44:21,070 --> 01:44:23,706 is how..." I, I just can't... 1397 01:44:23,730 --> 01:44:28,746 I can't get myself there. They did what they were 1398 01:44:28,770 --> 01:44:32,846 convicted of. ♪ ♪ 1399 01:44:32,870 --> 01:44:35,176 The problem was, there were a lot of sensitive issues in this 1400 01:44:35,200 --> 01:44:37,206 case. For instance, we got them a 1401 01:44:37,230 --> 01:44:40,806 warehouse where we had cameras and, and they had a meeting, and 1402 01:44:40,830 --> 01:44:44,676 they swore the oath to Al-Qaeda. But we could have delivered them 1403 01:44:44,700 --> 01:44:48,146 a, a load of arms and munitions; made the arms and munitions 1404 01:44:48,170 --> 01:44:51,546 inoperable, but delivered them. Once they accepted that, we 1405 01:44:51,570 --> 01:44:54,646 could have taken them down with the, the munitions in their hand 1406 01:44:54,670 --> 01:45:00,406 and I think that would have been far, far more effective. 1407 01:45:00,430 --> 01:45:04,376 But at that time, the bureau was so nervous about providing 1408 01:45:04,400 --> 01:45:07,746 potential terrorists with weaponry that they just flat- 1409 01:45:07,770 --> 01:45:10,146 out said, "No, you can't do that." 1410 01:45:10,170 --> 01:45:13,246 Al-Qaeda didn't know any of these individuals. 1411 01:45:13,270 --> 01:45:17,006 They didn't have anybody who could have done a full ground 1412 01:45:17,030 --> 01:45:20,706 war in the United States or, uh, taken down the Sears Tower. 1413 01:45:20,730 --> 01:45:24,276 But many Americans believe they did because the FBI manufactured 1414 01:45:24,300 --> 01:45:26,706 this plot. I was hoping that they would 1415 01:45:26,730 --> 01:45:29,646 learn that this case was an overreach, they had gone too 1416 01:45:29,670 --> 01:45:33,046 far, and perhaps undermined public trust in the 1417 01:45:33,070 --> 01:45:35,606 counterterrorism tactics that they were using. 1418 01:45:35,630 --> 01:45:38,146 But they seem to have taken the opposite lesson. 1419 01:45:38,170 --> 01:45:42,076 And what you see in the sting operations after Liberty City 1420 01:45:42,100 --> 01:45:46,746 Seven is an effort to sensationalize the cases even 1421 01:45:46,770 --> 01:45:52,976 further, to where they will go to the extent of actually 1422 01:45:53,000 --> 01:45:57,506 providing significant weaponry to these groups. 1423 01:45:57,530 --> 01:46:00,106 Yesterday during an FBI sting operation. 1424 01:46:00,130 --> 01:46:02,046 He's a U.S. citizen... Demetrius Pitts faces charges 1425 01:46:02,070 --> 01:46:04,506 after he communicated with an undercover agent. 1426 01:46:04,530 --> 01:46:07,006 He believed that the FBI planted this bombing plot... 1427 01:46:07,030 --> 01:46:09,046 undercover agents who said they could help him bomb the 1428 01:46:09,070 --> 01:46:11,576 mall... They set this kid up. 1429 01:46:11,600 --> 01:46:13,806 If you lay out sting operations on a chart, you know, 1430 01:46:13,830 --> 01:46:18,506 what you see is this enormous uptick after 2009. 1431 01:46:18,530 --> 01:46:21,246 I think it's just further emboldened the FBI and the 1432 01:46:21,270 --> 01:46:23,676 Department of Justice in its use of these types of sting 1433 01:46:23,700 --> 01:46:27,276 operations, knowing that essentially, if they can convict 1434 01:46:27,300 --> 01:46:30,106 these guys in Miami, you know, they can convict just about 1435 01:46:30,130 --> 01:46:33,406 anybody. ♪ ♪ 1436 01:46:33,430 --> 01:46:36,076 The Liberty City/Sears Tower case was significant in the 1437 01:46:36,100 --> 01:46:39,806 sense of taking people with bad motives, bad intent, off the 1438 01:46:39,830 --> 01:46:43,006 street, holding them accountable, and then serving as 1439 01:46:43,030 --> 01:46:45,106 a deterrent to other potential terrorists. 1440 01:46:45,130 --> 01:46:47,946 Were these terrorists in a real sense? 1441 01:46:47,970 --> 01:46:53,176 My personal opinion was no, because... and that's why I 1442 01:46:53,200 --> 01:46:55,346 describe them as aspirational rather than operational... 1443 01:46:55,370 --> 01:46:59,446 Because I didn't believe they, they could do something based on 1444 01:46:59,470 --> 01:47:03,476 what I had seen. I'm not gonna hype these 1445 01:47:03,500 --> 01:47:06,976 cases to be something that they're not. 1446 01:47:07,000 --> 01:47:11,276 But they're very important, because if, if we can't do 'em, 1447 01:47:11,300 --> 01:47:14,776 it's gonna be hard to stop terrorists. 1448 01:47:14,800 --> 01:47:18,376 The Liberty City case was one of the cases that we would use in 1449 01:47:18,400 --> 01:47:21,346 training: okay, this is a cautionary tale. 1450 01:47:21,370 --> 01:47:25,346 You know, be careful as to how far your, your undercover agents 1451 01:47:25,370 --> 01:47:28,546 or your informants push. And when you do arrest, you 1452 01:47:28,570 --> 01:47:33,376 know, don't overstate what, what you've got. 1453 01:47:33,400 --> 01:47:36,546 The goal is not to take somebody that is not a terrorist and make 1454 01:47:36,570 --> 01:47:42,476 them a terrorist. They weren't really the, the 1455 01:47:42,500 --> 01:47:45,676 terrorists that we were seeking out. 1456 01:47:45,700 --> 01:47:52,076 ♪ ♪ This is my job. 1457 01:47:52,100 --> 01:47:55,046 I was hired as a supervisor, underneath the project manager, 1458 01:47:55,070 --> 01:48:01,146 to run the job site with small contractors. 1459 01:48:01,170 --> 01:48:05,546 This is excellent, uh, it's... It might not be as, as good as 1460 01:48:05,570 --> 01:48:09,076 me subcontracting things on my own, and making more money in a, 1461 01:48:09,100 --> 01:48:12,676 in a momentous type of way. But it's a steady income, I'm on 1462 01:48:12,700 --> 01:48:16,476 salary pay. And I'm, I'm just happy. 1463 01:48:16,500 --> 01:48:22,606 ♪ ♪ Did you ever imagine that you 1464 01:48:22,630 --> 01:48:25,546 were being recorded? Yes. 1465 01:48:25,570 --> 01:48:31,946 You did? You knew that you were being 1466 01:48:31,970 --> 01:48:34,176 videoed? Yes. 1467 01:48:34,200 --> 01:48:37,706 It was, it was clear. Did you see where the video 1468 01:48:37,730 --> 01:48:42,200 cameras were? No, they were hidden cameras. 1469 01:48:46,770 --> 01:48:49,176 Did you tell the brothers that you thought your meetings 1470 01:48:49,200 --> 01:48:54,046 with Assaad might have been recorded by law enforcement? 1471 01:48:54,070 --> 01:49:02,070 Yes. ♪ ♪ 1472 01:49:02,830 --> 01:49:04,846 I still don't really understand how you thought you 1473 01:49:04,870 --> 01:49:08,006 could get away with it even if you got the money. 1474 01:49:08,030 --> 01:49:10,106 Yeah, I didn't seem... I didn't really... 1475 01:49:10,130 --> 01:49:11,776 At the end of the day, I thought about it and said, "I 1476 01:49:11,800 --> 01:49:14,006 probably won't get away with it, but I'll just spend some of it, 1477 01:49:14,030 --> 01:49:16,276 and if they caught me, 'Hey, I'm sorry I took the money. 1478 01:49:16,300 --> 01:49:18,306 Can I give it back? I spent some of it.'" 1479 01:49:18,330 --> 01:49:21,476 That's what I thought I could use as an excuse. 1480 01:49:21,500 --> 01:49:26,176 ♪ ♪ I wonder if he's trying to 1481 01:49:26,200 --> 01:49:30,646 save face. Because he realized how stupid 1482 01:49:30,670 --> 01:49:34,476 he was. Everybody makes mistakes, but 1483 01:49:34,500 --> 01:49:36,776 not everybody's mistakes is recorded for the world to see 1484 01:49:36,800 --> 01:49:40,706 over and over and over again. His is. 1485 01:49:40,730 --> 01:49:43,246 So that was his best answer is trying to say, "Aw, yeah, I'm 1486 01:49:43,270 --> 01:49:46,206 smart." Nah, you was just that dumb. 1487 01:49:46,230 --> 01:49:49,976 That's all that was. That's all that was. 1488 01:49:50,000 --> 01:49:52,276 He didn't know? He didn't know. 1489 01:49:52,300 --> 01:50:00,006 He didn't know. ♪ ♪ 1490 01:50:00,030 --> 01:50:03,576 Finance was becoming a problem because of my case. 1491 01:50:03,600 --> 01:50:06,846 So it was hard to find employment or anything else. 1492 01:50:06,870 --> 01:50:10,976 So, when I did find employment, it was, like, a bull(bleep) ass 1493 01:50:11,000 --> 01:50:14,606 job. And I said, "I'mma take this 1494 01:50:14,630 --> 01:50:17,276 job, or take this check, and I'mma mix this through what I 1495 01:50:17,300 --> 01:50:19,976 know best." Which is go back to the street 1496 01:50:20,000 --> 01:50:22,076 and go back to the hustling game, to the cocaine or 1497 01:50:22,100 --> 01:50:25,206 whatever, and just mix and mingle with the people I know. 1498 01:50:25,230 --> 01:50:28,876 They're so concerned with terrorist, uh, watch, I was 1499 01:50:28,900 --> 01:50:31,206 selling dope under their eyes the whole time, and I was on 1500 01:50:31,230 --> 01:50:33,746 federal probation. So they couldn't be that 1501 01:50:33,770 --> 01:50:37,406 concerned with me. They couldn't have. 1502 01:50:37,430 --> 01:50:43,530 I made money. ♪ ♪ 1503 01:50:53,170 --> 01:50:56,206 In terms of Batiste, nah, I wanted to strangle the guy, man, 1504 01:50:56,230 --> 01:50:58,746 because I felt like, you don't listen. 1505 01:50:58,770 --> 01:51:01,946 You got caught up in yourself, and now this is what this come 1506 01:51:01,970 --> 01:51:04,646 down. And this is not just something 1507 01:51:04,670 --> 01:51:08,176 that affect us immediately. It affect all, every last one of 1508 01:51:08,200 --> 01:51:11,606 our families. Of course I wanted to strangle 1509 01:51:11,630 --> 01:51:18,800 his ass. ♪ ♪ 1510 01:51:28,870 --> 01:51:36,870 ♪ ♪ I lose part of me. 1511 01:51:37,570 --> 01:51:44,506 I lost everything I was. My whole 30s was spent in 1512 01:51:44,530 --> 01:51:47,676 prison. In your 30s, that's when you buy 1513 01:51:47,700 --> 01:51:52,246 a house, you know what I mean? You start to be financially 1514 01:51:52,270 --> 01:51:56,146 sound, you know? Having kids, you know... I spent 1515 01:51:56,170 --> 01:52:00,606 all that time in prison. So, I'm out right now, I don't 1516 01:52:00,630 --> 01:52:08,306 got no kids. No, no wife, no girlfriend... 1517 01:52:08,330 --> 01:52:14,506 No real job. (laughing) 1518 01:52:14,530 --> 01:52:19,370 Oh, man! (whistles) 1519 01:52:19,830 --> 01:52:27,830 ♪ ♪ Captioned by 1520 01:53:26,400 --> 01:53:32,776 Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org 1521 01:53:32,800 --> 01:53:35,646 For more on this and other "Frontline" programs, visit our 1522 01:53:35,670 --> 01:53:42,470 website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ 1523 01:53:47,000 --> 01:53:51,046 Frontline's "In the Shadow of 9/11," 1524 01:53:51,070 --> 01:53:52,830 is avaliable on Amazon Prime Video.