- .New York lawyer Stanley Cohen enlisted prominent clerics Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi to negotiate with ISIS cleric Turki al-Binali
- .They planned to save Kassig and stop ISIS's random beheadings
- .Mission involved al-Maqdisi negotiating with Binali over WhatsApp
- .These WhatsApp discussions almost secured Kassig's release
- .Jordan 'had agreed al-Maqdisi would not be arrested' - but the day after nearing a deal, al-Maqdisi was arrested for 'inciting terrorism via the web'
- .Kassig was beheaded three weeks later on November 16
- .FBI confirmed knowing about the mission and paying for translators but denies knowledge of email agreeing to protect al-Maqdisi
Two jihadi clerics and a New York lawyer implored Islamic State leaders to release Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig and desist from murdering innocent civilians, a report has revealed.
The talks, backed by the FBI, ran for just under a month before Kassig's brutal murder on November 16, according to emails read by The Guardian.
Stanley Cohen, a US lawyer who has represented members of Hamas, got clearance from US counter-terrorism officials to reach out to extremist preacher Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi for the mission.
But a day after al-Maqdisi predicted Kassig's imminent release, he was detained in Jordan - despite having formal backing from the FBI to conduct talks without arrest.
And now US officials deny any knowledge of the email that agreed to protect al-Maqdisi from arrest, the paper claims.
Plot: Emails reveal an FBI-backed mission involving prominent jihadi clerics came within days of Peter Kassig
According to the report, Cohen - who represented Osama bin Laden's son-in-law - allegedly sent an email to US counter-terrorism confirming that Jordanian officials would not detain al-Maqdisi over correspondence with Isis cleric Turki al-Binali - al-Maqdisi's former student.
The aim was to secure Kassig's release - in exchange the clerics would cease to denounce ISIS in public.
The FBI paid $24,000 for the group's translator expenses for 17 days, the report states.
Al-Maqdisi started WhatsApp messaging with Binali on October 23, and by October 26 told Cohen he was confident Kassig would be released based on their conversations.
But the next day, al-Maqdisi was detained in Jordan for inciting terrorism via the internet.
On November 16, ISIS released footage of Kassig's beheading.
Cohen insists he had secured al-Maqdisi's protection, a fact with US counter-terrorism officials dispute.
Cohen told The Daily Telegraph: 'The immediate goal was to save Kassig but we also wanted to set up protocols to free other captives and prevent future hostage-takings.
Mission: Controversial lawyer Stanley Cohen believed he secured an agreement with Jordanian officials to send Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi into the country for talks without having them arrested
Plan foiled: The mission fell through when al-Maqdisi (left) was detained for inciting terrorism via the internet after negotiating with ISIS clerics over WhatsApp. He was working with Abu Qatada (right)
'We proposed that they release Kassig as a gesture in honour of prisoners at Gitmo and in Israeli prisons. We were making progress and then the Jordanians arrested Maqdisi.
'Someone in the Jordan or US didn't want this deal to go through. I urged the Americans to pick up the phone to get Maqdisi released. But he remained in prison and the captive was killed.'
Cohen will be jailed for 18 months in January after being found guilty on tax charges.
Prosecutors say Cohen filed no tax returns for six years, requested a filing extension each year and made modest payments toward taxes due.
In September, Cohen's client Sulaiman Abu Ghaith received life in prison for acting as the voice of al-Qaida after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Cohen argued there was no evidence Abu Ghaith participated directly in terrorist plots.
No comments:
Post a Comment