Seas of David

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again

Paul Kiel | April 24, 2008, 11:51AM

Nearly two years after the administration rolled out its big bust of the so-called "Liberty City Seven" (though they'll always be the Seas of David crew to us), the government has decided that the group of paintballers , whose leader used to roam the streets of Miami in a bathrobe, is such a continued threat that the government, after two trials ended in a hung jury, will be going for the hat trick:

Federal prosecutors announced plans Wednesday to retry six Florida men on terrorism charges despite two consecutive mistrials in a case once trumpeted as a success in the government's war on terrorism.

"We've worked very hard this past week, reviewing everything in this case and considering it very, very seriously," prosecutor Richard Gregorie said in Miami federal court. "The United States has decided it's necessary to proceed . . . one more time."...

The two trials have cost several million dollars, including fees for court-appointed defense lawyers and prosecutors' salaries. Providing security for the two trials has cost more than $1 million, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

"Enough is enough," said defense lawyer David O. Markus. "The feds are always saying that they don't have enough resources, so why are they clinging to this money-draining case?"

Seas of David

Again, Govt's Kooky Cult Terrorism Case Goes Bust

Paul Kiel | April 16, 2008, 11:44AM

Back in December, jurors deadlocked on the Seas of David terrorism case. As I wrote back then:

The Miami "Seas of David" terror bust was such an important blow in the War on Terror that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales himself gave a press conference in July of 2006. Federal agents had stopped a plot to blow up the Sears Tower, he said. The group had planned to "accomplish attacks against America," the FBI's deputy director said at Gonzales side. "We pre-empted their plot."

Well, a second trial has reaped the same result.

It's no mystery why. I recommend to take a trip through our archives to get a feel for why the jurors might have balked.

Seas of David

Govt's Kooky Cult Terrorism Case Goes Bust

Paul Kiel | December 13, 2007, 5:28PM

The Miami "Seas of David" terror bust was such an important blow in the War on Terror that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales himself gave a press conference in July of 2006. Federal agents had stopped a plot to blow up the Sears Tower, he said. The group had planned to "accomplish attacks against America," the FBI's deputy director said at Gonzales side. "We pre-empted their plot."

But, as we wrote at the time, "the more we learn, the less this crew looks like they could have toppled a tree house, let alone the Sears Tower." The clique, adherents of a sect "that mixes Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Freemasonry, Gnosticism and Taoism," met in a windowless warehouse they called the "Temple." The leader of the group, Narseal Batiste, was described as a "'Moses-like figure' who would roam the streets in a cape or bathrobe, toting a crooked wooden cane and looking for young men to join his group." And when the group met in their Temple, the men "took turns standing guard outside the door, dressed up in makeshift military uniforms and combat boots. Sometimes they covered their faces with ski masks." Nobody ever charged them with being subtle.

And it was unclear whether the group really had any plans themselves, or whether they got all their ideas from the FBI informant. When the FBI raided the Temple, FBI agents found only one knife and a blackjack. The group trained by shooting paintball guns in the woods.

Sure enough, the government's case ended today with one exoneration and six mistrials. "The government wants to try them again next year," the BBC reports.

Seas of David

Paintballers Plotted World Takeover

Paul Kiel | July 6, 2006, 1:21PM

Yesterday was the bond hearing for the Seas of David cult, the seven "homegrown terrorists" whose arrest two weeks ago was a shining example of anti-terrorism efforts, according to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The ragtag, kooky group, who all belong to a sect "that mixes Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Freemasonry, Gnosticism and Taoism," had plans to destroy the Sears Tower in Chicago, prosecutors say.

Well, the judge says the crew is too dangerous to walk the streets before trial. So they'll stay locked up. But more details about the case came out during the hearing. And the more we learn, the less this crew looks like they could have toppled a tree house, let alone the Sears Tower.

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Seas of David

Veteran FBI Terror Buster Questions Miami Case

Justin Rood | June 26, 2006, 5:24PM

Another question arises about the government's case against Miami's alleged al Qaeda operatives.

Mike German spent 16 years in the FBI; for over a decade, he went undercover to bust up domestic terrorist groups around the country. I called him to get his opinion on the "Seas of David" case.

He wouldn't discuss the specifics of the case, but it's clear he's got some concerns about it.

"Cases like these generally hinge on who reached out to who first," German told me. In other words, did the Seas of David boys go around to mosques and surf the web, trying to find an al Qaeda hookup? Did they put the word out on the street they were looking to tell bin Laden they were at his disposal? Or did the government show up (undercover) on their doorstep, offering al Qaeda to the men unsolicited?

If the members did reach out to al Qaeda, "the indictment doesn't mention that," German said. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, only that if it did, and the feds didn't mention it in the indictment, someone's very bad at writing indictments. "I've never seen somebody not put those relevant facts in an indictment," said German.

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Seas of David

Brother Corey, The Public Face of Seas of David

Paul Kiel | June 26, 2006, 5:04PM

As Justin mentioned, CNN had an exclusive interview with a man who identified himself as the spokesman of the Seas (or Seeds) of David cult late Thursday night -- in front of the group's temple/warehouse.

He was nervous, a little raw -- clearly no Tony Snow. But he's perhaps the best window we're likely to have into the minds of the group members, who looked to their leader ("my prince") for religious leadership, karate instruction and contracting work.

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Seas of David

Seas of David? Or Seeds of David?

Justin Rood | June 26, 2006, 4:52PM

There seems to be some confusion.

The group of seven men arrested in Miami, accused of trying to provide material support to al Qaeda, were a cult-like group that met in an abandoned windowless warehouse they called "The Temple." That much everyone agrees on.

But the name of the group itself. As CNN's Jeanne Meserve explained last Thursday, "there seems to be a little bit of confusion of whether it's Seas of David, Seeds of David. I defer to John [Roberts], who says he believes it's Seeds."

Roberts was onto something: "Seeds of David" is a recognizable Judeo-Christian image. "Seas of David," on the other hand, doesn't seem to make any sense.

Unfortunately, knowledge of religious symbolism isn't always that useful when you're covering crackpot cults. CNN's John Zarella described an encounter with a group member, "Brother Corey," who cleared up the issue:

Brother Corey walks up to me. I'm standing literally right here, and he walks up to me and says, "I'm a representative. I'm authorized to speak on behalf of our organization."

I asked him what the name of the group was, and, you know, he said that -- gave me the name of the group, and then we started the interview. I began to talk with him. He was detailing to me different things about the organization. He called themselves the Seas, S-E-A-S, Seas of David. Could be the Seeds of David, but he insisted it was Seas of David.

Whatever, dude, Zarella seems to say. It's your cult, call it whatever you want.

Seas of David

The AG's Seven Sunni (Sonny?) Samurai

Justin Rood | June 26, 2006, 2:48PM

I must admit, the Miami "Seas of David" terror bust, so important the Attorney General himself gave a press conference, has captured my attention.

You know, the "al Qaeda" guys the FBI rounded up last week, the extremely dangerous crew of "homegrown terrorists" who walked around in hoods, stood sentry by their warehouse hideout in ski masks and combat boots, studied the Bible and watched martial arts movies, and -- according to the FBI -- was planning to blow up the Sears Tower.

The way the federal prosecutors tell it, the crew hooked up with an al Qaeda representative -- in truth, an FBI informant posing as an AQ guy. Over time, the seven men pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, expressed an interest in attending an al Qaeda training camp, talked about blowing up FBI offices, took pictures of the FBI headquarters in Miami, and so on.

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Seas of David

Will Terror Charges Stick to Miami's Keystone Qaeda?

Justin Rood | June 26, 2006, 8:24AM

Mmm. Josh has been pointing out some salient differences between the recently busted-up terror "cell" in Miami and, er, a real terrorist group.

Now, Newsweek's Mark Hosenball says some are wondering if the feds can get charges to stick on these boys. "Some civil-liberties activists complained that the informant's prodding may have helped create a plot that otherwise wouldn't have existed," he writes. In other words, the band warn't even creative enough to think of blowing up the Sears Tower on their own?

They certainly had a flair for the dramatic. Outside the warehouse HQ the seven would-be terrorists called "The Temple," the men "took turns standing guard outside the door, dressed up in makeshift military uniforms and combat boots. Sometimes they covered their faces with ski masks," reports Hosenball.

Because nothing hides a sleeper cell better than a uniformed guard wearing a ski mask and combat boots in sweltering Florida heat.