Failed Times Square Bomber Faisal Shahzad Inspired by Jamaican-Born Cleric, Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal

Jamaica has been in the news lately and for all the wrong reasons. The island was battered in the press with the Prime Minister Bruce Golding's admission that he and the Jamaica Labor Party retained an American law firm to lobby over the extradition of drug don Christopher "Dudus" Coke to the United States. Well, today news broke that Faisal Shahzad, who attempted to blow up a car in Times Square, told authorities that he was inspired to act by Jamaican Muslim cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal and Anwar al-Awlaki — an American-born imam who has been linked to an al-Qaida group in Yemen, reports National Public Radio. Shahzad made his first court appearance Tuesday and faces five felony charges.

Al Faisal has been linked to two of the men who blew up trains in Britain in 2005. He was a mentor to a Jamaican convert, Germaine Lindsay, who died in that 2005 suicide bombing. He has also been linked to a terrorism training camp in Oregon, USA several years ago.

He was an imam at the Brixton Mosque in London when Richard Reid, the shoe bomber — also of Jamaican parentage — worshipped there. Zacharias Moussaoui, the 20th hijacker in the September 11 attacks, was also a follower of his.

Al Faisal was sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom for calling for the killing of Jews, Americans and Hindus in one of his CD lectures. After serving more than four years, he was deported to Jamaica.

Last year he slipped out of the country and ended up in Africa and was deported back here from Kenya earlier this year for allegedly trying to recruit people there for violent Jihad.

He has been placed on an international terrorist watch list as counter-terrorism operatives say his is a powerful voice in the violent Jihadi movement who seem to inspire Muslims to violence. Source: Jamaica Observer

It should be noted that al-Faisal has been banned from preaching in Jamaica, but I am sure if he wants to indoctrinate sympathizers with his beliefs, he can. I would hope many would realize that Jamaica isn't a safe haven for this vile offshoot of Islam.