The Iraqis, arrested on May 25, were identified as Waad Ramadan Alwan,
30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23. A 23-count federal grand jury
indictment asserted that Alwan conspired to bomb Americans in Iraq and help
the Al Qaida network. He was also said to have sought to export Stinger
missiles to insurgents.
"Over the course of roughly eight years, Waad Ramadan Alwan allegedly
supported efforts to kill U.S. troops in Iraq, first by participating in the
construction and placement of improvised explosive devices in Iraq and, more
recently, by attempting to ship money and weapons from the United States to
insurgents in Iraq," Assistant Attorney General Todd Hinnen said.
Hamadi was accused of similar offenses. Both defendants, who entered the
United States in 2009 and were not charged with plots inside the country,
face life sentences.
Alwan was said to have been drawn into an FBI sting in which he boasted
of attacking the U.S. Army in Iraq. Later, a fingerprint was recovered from
an unexploded bomb near Beiji, Iraq.
In September 2010, Alwan was said to have shipped money and weapons to
Sunni insurgents in Iraq. In the sting, Alwan agreed to also acquire machine
guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, Stinger missiles and C4 plastic
explosives for Al Qaida elements.
"Neither the Stinger missiles nor any of the other weapons or money
delivered by Alwan or Hammadi in connection with the CHS [confidential human
source] in the United States were provided to Al Qaida in Iraq, but instead
were carefully controlled by law enforcement as part of the undercover
operation," the Justice Department said.
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