Dumb, Dumber or Terrorist?
EmailA 28-year-old Muslim from India has been taken into custody in Rhode Island after a truck driving school became suspicious of his efforts to obtain a license to drive trucks with hazardous material. Upon appearing in court today in Boston to answer immigration charges, Mohammed Yusef Mullawala was denied bond pending a removal hearing scheduled for next Tuesday, Jan. 30. Federal Immigration Judge Matthew D’Angelo said he found Mullawala’s court responses not to be creditable and ruled that he posed a danger to the community and was himself a flight risk.
Rhode Island State Police said Mohammed Yusef Mullawala came to the United States on a student visa but never attended classes at three separate schools he said he was going to attend.
Instructors at the Nationwide Tractor Trailer Driving School in Smithfield, R.I., became suspicious when Mullawala showed up last November. "He kept saying he wanted a HAZMAT license, and he wanted it quickly and that he did not want to learn to back the truck up, only to be able to drive it forward," said Darleen Crawford, president of the driving school, who reported her concerns to Highway Watch, a national Homeland Security program for highway safety and anti-terrorism. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Rhode Island State Police Major Steven O’Donnell said Mullawala’s phone records revealed calls that were "suspicious" and "problematic," but he would not provide further details. Mullawala’s attorney Jeff Rubin defended his client today, saying, "My client absolutely denies any terrorist activity at all. This is just mere suspicion, paranoia and profiling."
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press charges…speedy trial…guilty verdict…death sentence…
Posted by: Jazz | January 23, 2007, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
Castrate him and send him back home
Posted by: Joe | January 23, 2007, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
Hey, this guy is innocent. You should have been looking into the Oklahoma bombers.
Posted by: James | January 23, 2007, 6:26 pm 6:26 pm
If he goes to prison…………put him in with the general population. He won’t last two weeks.
Posted by: Dave | January 23, 2007, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm
Constant vigilance like this is what is needed. Profiling? It’s not the little ol’ lady from Pasadena professing death to America!
Posted by: Don | January 24, 2007, 7:39 am 7:39 am
That low-life “attorney” needs to get a real job. Or I’ll pay to have him go on welfare if he can’t find anything better to do than make excuses for a person who wants to kill Americans. He seems to be more mentally challenged than his idiot client. First of all, their suspicions were well-founded – what kind of idiot says that he doesn’t want to learn how to drive in reverse? (An idiot in the country illegally at that. How did this person got into the country on a student visa and then fail to attend classes without anybody noticing? The whole darned government has failed to protect us. We are really on our own, people!) That little piece of lunacy would have grabbed MY attention (I drove trucks in the US Army). Second, RE: “mere paranoia,” where has this attorney been since Sept 11, 01? If he’s not paranoid about behavior like this, he’s fooling himself in a huge way. And third, but most importantly, YES it IS profiling, and we need to do a lot more of it if we are going to get the upper hand on terrorists. Don is right – until little old ladies from Pasadena start blowing us up, I will continue to be suspicious towards everybody from the middle east, India, wherever the “heck” these terrorists come from. Thanks a million to Darlene Crawford, a fine American. Darlene, you did the right thing – you probably saved hundreds of Americans from harm. Don’t let bottom dwellers like that attorney get you down. If the numb-skulls in Immigration want to keep letting foreign terrorists into this country, then we ALL have to be suspicious and paranoid, and engage in profiling every day. God Bless America for Americans.
Posted by: Elaine Wolfe | January 24, 2007, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
“press charges…speedy trial…guilty verdict…death sentence…”
Wow, what a mature, well thought out statement. You sound like a 3rd-grader. Why don’t you just form your own death squads and then we can be on the EXACT same level as the terrorists.
Boy, talk about throwing away American principles. You sad, cowardly reactionaries are degrading the US as much as, if not more than, the terrorists. You’re the type that would easily be swept up into mob rule and dance in the streets, holding our enemies’ heads’ up for display, as long as “everyone else was doing it.”
Ever heard of “INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty?” It’s a pretty cool concept; it prevents you from being thrown down a well, just because some journalist gets a ‘lead’ (i.e. lie) and prints allegations against you.
Sure, if he’s guilty, he should be punished severely, like life w/out parole at the very least. But people, don’t forget the reasons that make America the greatest nation in the world.
Posted by: Ryan | January 24, 2007, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
Wow, Elaine,
So, are you saying that the accused should not be afforded an attorney? (Please refer to the US Constitution—it’s the highest set of laws in the land. Are you aware of this document?).
Or, are you saying that the attorney should not do all he can for his client? Which is, by the way, AGAINST the LAW and in direct violation of the oaths that American attorneys have sworn to for generations. They can be disbarred for providing anything less than a thorough, aggressive defense. I cannot believe that you don’t know this.
I am scared of people like you who want to do away with fair trials. You might have a change of heart if YOU ever need protection under the law. I guess it would be okay to have an aggressive defense attorney, as long as YOU were the one being prosecuted?
You seem like someone who would be proud of our founding documents and this little thing called The Bill of Rights. But, I guess not.
Posted by: Ryan | January 24, 2007, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
Look into the Oklahoma bombers? Do you really want to do that? You do realize that there is a connection to indonesian Al Qaeda terrorists that is going to be hushed forever…..
Posted by: Scott | January 24, 2007, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
I’m sure the taxpayers paid for him to come to this country and then paid for the screweling that he got.
Posted by: Bill Zabub | January 24, 2007, 7:52 pm 7:52 pm
If this guy really stated “I do not want to learn to back the truck up, only to be able to drive it forward” – Then there is no reaon NOT to think he is a terrorist.
- Do you know of any truck drivers that do not back-up their trucks?
Posted by: brett | January 25, 2007, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
You all have it wrong. You’re not being culturally sensitive and I think we should all be a little less judgemental. After all Islam is a religion of peace. Maybe Sharia prohibits backing up. Until we all read the Koran and know what it’s like to follow the word of Allah, I don’t think we have any right to keep this poor undocumented worker locked up. To do so is racist.
Posted by: Len | January 25, 2007, 8:27 pm 8:27 pm
There’s no question now, the two great universal issues of our day, Global Warming and The War on Terrorism have morphed into one: The Global Warming on Terrorism.
NEXT: the mass distribution of “Hug a Terrorist” bumper stickers.
Posted by: ED DASZEWSKI | January 25, 2007, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm
This moron’s attorney is named Rubin. Mr. Rubin is probably Jewish, and doesn’t have the common sense to realize that the Jews are the main segment, that would be terrorists want to target. If Rubin is Jewish, he is a disgrace to his religion and is naive at best. Yes, I am Jewish and want no part of people like Rubin who would defend a suspicious muslim terrorist that wants to kill us.
Posted by: Marc | January 25, 2007, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm
Len, I have a couple of ?’s for you. First, have you ever read the Koran? Did you Ignore the part about killing those who refuse to convert? Have you watched any foreign TV of late? Also, I don’t understand how you can have a problem with keeping him locked up. First, he isn’t a US citizen and therefore has no rights because he is here on a student visa which has been violated.(He has not gone to a single class just in case you missed that part).
Posted by: Eric | January 25, 2007, 11:51 pm 11:51 pm
Yes, Len, I agree. I think we should also stick human rights watch on this guy and make sure he doesn’t knick himself shaving in prison. Also, maybe Wal-Mart can send him a care package full of goods made by the much despised Untouchables from his fair and equitable homeland: India. At least he never had a probelm speaking to a computer technician at the Dell computer call centre. So what if he doesn’t want to back up? I didn’t read in the Ten Commandments or Koran any lines whcih decrees ‘Thou Shallt Back Up.’ …..Good job world. Keep it up.
Posted by: Ray | January 26, 2007, 12:22 am 12:22 am
Maybe sharia prohibits backing up? ok let him drive STRAIGHT threw your house with the hazardous material. And Ryan i think you should look up the amendments to the constitution. they signify that the constitution isn’t this thing we look upon to bail us out of controversies like these. The amendments also signify that as time has gone by, the constitution doesn’t apply to every situation so they ratified it, which during these days, we need to ratify it, MAking the PATRIOT ACT an amendment. There is a reason people profile becuase those people being profiled live up to it, which is apparent in thise case. You don’t profile someone who succeed in every aspect in life. Because they are an asset to society and the nation, beside those people dont have a reason to become a terrorist of any sort, its the people who have no voice of their own, no individuality, they are only for the cause, but contrary to their belief, the cause is what destroys them not prolongs their belief and way of life. That is the American spirit and dream, not some idea someone came up with to give freedom to anyone and everyone. You have to earn those freedoms, by living your life to the highest potential for mankind and mankinds future, cause one day you will be gone and the earth will still be here and you be just another pawn of history unless you somehow contributed to life. And elaine wolfe, by what you said, the only way we can REALLY find him guilty is if he actually commits the crime, but i think by then, peoples lives are gone and he can never be punished, so in that sense profiling is right.
Posted by: wolfpacker86 | January 26, 2007, 1:16 am 1:16 am
It is time to classify Islam as a criminal organization with designs on global totalitarianism.
Posted by: Charles | January 26, 2007, 2:31 am 2:31 am
I can’t believe this guy and his stupid logic. Who cares about being culturally sensitive and the 13th century you know what. All I care about is the survival of this country.
Posted by: James | January 26, 2007, 2:33 am 2:33 am
This is a Sikh moved from India a year ago..If this person is really found out to be a terrorist, then he is not even able to be sentenced for life time. We don’t need theese scums here. I don’t think theese so called religious persons are even humans.They dont belong to this land.
Posted by: Paul Singh | January 26, 2007, 3:14 am 3:14 am
To Len: ROTFLOL
To Ryan: “press charges…speedy trial…guilty verdict…death sentence…’Wow, what a mature, well thought out statement’”.
How about: Press charges… speedy trial … if the verdict is guilty … then death sentence. Beheading is nice Al-Jazzera may even carry it on the evening news…
These Islamic Terrorist only understand one thing, they are going to spend eternity for killing you, your children, my son. Lets send them to that eternity without all the “collateral damage” of our children.
Posted by: HarshDude | January 26, 2007, 8:34 am 8:34 am
The problem with letting these terrorist in the country to do as they please could be seen a few nights ago. All one had to do was observe all the old wind bags and dead heads in the Presidents speech to the nation.
God help this country. Incidently, the right to keep and bare arms, was put in the constitution to defend ourselves from our own government when the need arouse. Unfortunately, we’re not too far from that point in this once great nation.
Posted by: David | January 26, 2007, 10:20 am 10:20 am
It isn’t the governments fault that they can’t profile people. You can thank the ACLU for that one. If the Gov. profiles people the ACLU will cry foul and sue. That’s why they have to harrass your grandma and not this guy. After all every ACLU lawyer knows that it is far worse for the big picture of America to profile potential terrorists than the harm they can cause when they nuke our cities. God Bless the ACLU….wait a minute….they don’t like God. I guess I should say Allah Bless the ACLU.
Posted by: BorderPatrolGuy | January 26, 2007, 11:19 am 11:19 am
Lawyers for Illegals….No wonder lawyers want more and more illegals….Lawyers running our government explains why we are going to the dogs!!
Posted by: mary | January 26, 2007, 11:22 am 11:22 am
And we just elected a congress hell bent on surrendering to the terrorists.
Posted by: lee | January 26, 2007, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm
If you are here illegally you do not have any rights under the law as far as I am concerned. This is OUR country and we need to stop making excuses for believing in God and remind these immigrants from all over the world that if they don’t like what americans stand for… GET OUT
As far as this guy well he’s gotta go!
Posted by: Jeff | January 26, 2007, 12:25 pm 12:25 pm
Sounds familiar. When the 9/11 hijackers were in flight school, they were not interested in landing the plane. Red flags should have gone up then. Thank goodness someone noticed this time..
Posted by: wire2wire | January 26, 2007, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
The ACLU is one of the bigest threats to america. Let them go live in the middle east or beeter yet let the government place all the low lides they get off the hook in houses next to their family! They live in gated comunities and the only blacks or mexicans they see are are mowing the lawn or sweeping the floors
Posted by: mike D angelo | January 26, 2007, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
I like what I’m hearing. I thought we had just about all bought into this sensitivity crap. It’s good to know that some Americans still want their children to die of old age and not loss of head. I think Len’s comment about Sharia not allowing drivers to back up were sarcastic; at least I hope they were. This disease of cultural sensitivity has spread too far, and our disgraceful media has pushed every bit of it. I’m not old enough to remember a time when the media was pro-American values. Not many people are. We are at war, and the difficult part of this is that we’re not at war with another country; we’re at war with another ideology. That ideology has spread like a frightening disease that prevents logical thinking. We need to profile because I haven’t seen a whole lot of terrorists lately that aren’t of middle eastern descent. If we had a surge of 80 year old grandmother high-jackers we would have an OBLIGATION to profile 80 year old grandmas. That’s all.
Posted by: Steve | January 26, 2007, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
Eric–I realize you want to enlighten folks about the negative aspects of Islam,like converts to a different religion being considered apostates, thus sentenced to death. However you failed to realize that Len was being facetious regarding his comments about Islamic terrorists. Your que that he was not serious was “Maybe Sharia prevents backing up”.
Posted by: brad | January 26, 2007, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
Len,
I believe your tongue was a little too far over in your cheek; apparently some of these folks didn’t catch the satirical intent.
“Go, lemmings!”
Posted by: WEalker Evans | January 26, 2007, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
After reading many of these postings it appears that the battle of hearts and minds has been won by the terrorist.
Every time an American volunteers to give up our rights to “fight terrorism” chalk up another victory for Mohammed.
For everyone who shouts to kill our enemies–your assimilation into Islam is complete. Go with God and kill everyone who doesn’t follow.
Posted by: mark | January 26, 2007, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
Atleast we learned something after 9/11. When Muslim men show up asking how to operate only one aspect of a potentially dangerous piece of machinery, then that’s a red flag.
Posted by: Karen | January 26, 2007, 1:16 pm 1:16 pm
I thought Len was being facetious and thought his post was funny.
Posted by: KC | January 26, 2007, 1:21 pm 1:21 pm
Mark, what the hell are you talking about? You’re onto something with your comment about Americans sacrificing our personal liberties. However, if you mean to suggest that the intent of the islamo-fascists was to stir up a unified American public in anti Muslim sentiment (as opposed to their admitted goal of stirring SOME such sentiment that will undoubtedly be effectively hamstrung by our weak liberal national character)you have an infantile, uneducated view of the situation. As for your last comment, was my grandfather and his generation assimilated by Nazism when they were asked to meet aggression with aggression? I mean we did “sink to THEIR level” didnt we?
Posted by: Jacques | January 26, 2007, 1:39 pm 1:39 pm
To those ‘offended’ by racial profiling- GET OVER IT
Posted by: carlacalifornia | January 26, 2007, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
This is addressed to Brett. Good point about sharia not allowing muslims to back up. I’m sure when the koran was written thousands of years ago it would forbid muslims from operating something backwardsthat isn’t even in existence yet. And i’m sure today’s sharia cultures people who do drive cars only go forward. Or maybe they are only allowed to make left hand turns at 45 degree angles. haha. You should join this terrorist on death row. If liberals such as yourself can’t see how obvious this man’s intentions were then I have to question your intelligence. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than this.
Posted by: Ron | January 26, 2007, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
The simple truth is there is no wrong answer or right answer. Racial profiling is a necessary factor as it helps greatly to reduce threats not only to the US but to the UK as well if u remember attempted terriorst plot in the UK awhile back. Is it right? no as it violates innocent cilvians and does cause harm but it does help to save lives. Stories just like this guy where someone thought he was a danger to the community. Is he? most likely but we should be keep our county ideology and continue to believe in innocent before guilty and if found guilty then put him away. The horrible truth is we aren’t fighting a county but an ideal that has warped the thoughts of others into beliving violence will solve something, that there’s a point to blowing up a building. While it is necessary to fight force with force such as in Iraq to limit casualites, we need to work as a county to erase this ideal, that muslisms do not believe in this violencce, and we can not use regilion as an exucse for these actions anymore, or else we are living in the dark ages again.
Posted by: David | January 26, 2007, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
Dress him in drag and deport him saudi arabia
Posted by: RJ | January 26, 2007, 2:36 pm 2:36 pm
THE REAL DUMMIES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE IN THESE LIBERAL NUT CASES ALLOWING ALL THESE IMMIGRANTS INTO AMERICA : JUST LOOK AT OUR GREAT PRESIDENT WHO WANTS TO REWARD ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AMNESTY FOR BREAKING OUR LAWS ! WE ARE BEING SOLD OUT ! TRUTH BE KNOWN US TAX PAYERS PAID FOR THIS CLOWNS TRUCK DRIVING CLASSES . WAKE UP AMERICANS BEFORE YOU DONT HAVE A COUNTRY ANYMORE , BUSH AND HIS HERO TED KENNEDY ARE IN HIGH GEAR ON SELLING US OUT !
Posted by: TERRY | January 26, 2007, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
If not for stupid people like the ones that think this poor guy is innocent and should be treated with respect, real Americans would not have to be worried about terrorist. We should cut off his fingers, toes and ears poke his eyes out and send him back to his waist land in the Middle East.
Posted by: Mike | January 26, 2007, 3:22 pm 3:22 pm
>>Rhode Island State Police Major Steven O’Donnell said Mullawala’s phone records revealed calls that were “suspicious” and “problematic,” but he would not provide further details.<<
I can't seem to find Bush's Super Terrorist-Gathering NSA Warrantless Surveilance Program in the above sentence. Can you?
dna
Posted by: curve666 | January 26, 2007, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
What most of you people don’t realize 65% of all gas stations in RI are owned/operated by this ethnic group. They have their own delivery system from terminal to station in place and are already barrelling down the highway w/10,000 gallon gas tankers. It’s only a matter of time.
Posted by: Ken | January 26, 2007, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm
What’s wrong with profiling? So far, only crazies, who strap bombs around their waists, and then blow themselves up along with innocent people around them, have been Muslims. Like I said, what’s wrong with profiling? One more thing, everytime I hear the “Religion of Peace” I also hear a bomb go off.
Posted by: Philip | January 27, 2007, 9:26 am 9:26 am
To Len: Great stuff.
To Len’s critics: It;s called sarcasm. Look into it.
To Ryan: The facile and false argument that “we’re becoming as bad as the terrorists” is just another in a long and unoriginal stock of tired blather intended to disguise liberal self-hate and a knee jerk Blame America First mindset. Keep your head firmly buried in the sand, pal.
Posted by: Don | January 27, 2007, 9:32 am 9:32 am
To those who think that we should treat this piece of vermin with respect and dignity, we’ll let you all ride shotgun with this misanthrope when he’s gunning his HAZMAT vehicle down the freeway chanting Allahu akbar!”
Posted by: brad | January 27, 2007, 11:55 am 11:55 am
Asking to learn to drive a truck but not learn to back up is almost the same as asking to learn to fly a plane but not learn to land it.
Hopefully, more of them are that stupid…
Posted by: Mike | January 27, 2007, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm
Thank god for “suspicion, paranoia and profiling.”
Without all that, and some dumb luck, we’d be in real trouble.
How much do those student visas cost, anyway? There must be a pretty good market for them at Homeland Security. They let the joker in the U.S. in the first place.
Posted by: Amos Bosco | January 27, 2007, 8:06 pm 8:06 pm
It really isn’t racial or religious profiling when the guy makes such ominous requests regarding transporting Hazmat, is it? Especially after violating visa terms?
I think the only one raising the “profiling” charge is the defense atty, who is obligated to come up with something to say.
And to think, the only mechanisms needed were “probable cause” and judicially approved warrants – maybe the Constitution from pre-9/11 wasn’t so bad after all…
Posted by: dave | January 27, 2007, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
Windbags and Deadheads. I think your speaking of the wrong Party. I do beleive it is Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi who are the actual Deadheads and We all know Ted Kennedy is the premeir wind bag. If the deadheads and windbags had their way this country would be overun. What actual plan for our future have they the Democrats offered? NONE NODA NILL ZERO.
Posted by: JZ | January 28, 2007, 11:52 am 11:52 am
Clearly this individual is either guilty of wanting to do wrong or guilty of wishing to take a short cut toward being certified for a skill that he would be fraudulently accredited of possessing. At best, he would have presented a danger to society in not having been properly trained to handle hazardous material. At worst, he had ill-intentions of carrying out an attack. Either way, he would have been a danger to our society, and either way he proved lacking competence and intelligence as either a potential hazmat driver or a supposed terrorist.
Ship the dumb-dumb back from where he came from, but not before taking a full biometric sample from him, replete with both retinal scan and DNA sample.
Posted by: Jeriola | January 29, 2007, 1:55 am 1:55 am
Islam is the Religion of Peace… President Bush told us so…
It wasn’t Evangelical Christians who hijacked the planes on 9/11… “Mohammed Atta” wasn’t a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher…
Maybe those parts of the Koran that tell Muslims to convert, dominate, or kill everyone actually mean what they say and Islam really is the new Communism?
Only this one isn’t afraid of killing itself, too…
Posted by: jtb | January 29, 2007, 7:02 am 7:02 am
Why everybody is angry at his lawyer? Didn’t the Washington DC sniper had a lawyer? Timothy McVeigh and whole bunch of serial killers, child molesters, gangsters have been provided with a lawyer. Regardless of the situation, the attorney’s job is to defend his client. That’s what he is doing.
Posted by: Jack | January 30, 2007, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
So let me get this right…this guy was trying to get a license to carry and dispose of hazardous material and that is something we should be scared of? It sounds like he is doing us a favor. He was even in a hurry to do it.
I used to live near a trash dump and that stuff can really stink! If someone is willing to do the job, let them.
Posted by: Corey | January 30, 2007, 11:10 pm 11:10 pm
Hey “Liberal Len” what don’t you get? “illegal muslim enters country under false pretenses –then wants to drive hazardous material truck without backing up” Len, are the horrific events of 9-11 foggy on your mind? People like you will be the demise of this great country.
Posted by: amge | January 31, 2007, 9:12 am 9:12 am
Tangent on the topic… the other problem F1 visa or internation students is that its a lucrative business for the Academic world…Why? Because funding and tuitition go directly to the schools and not from the government. Plus I know for a fact that schools will fill up F1 student seats first before residents can have a crack at them.
Posted by: AC | January 31, 2007, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
Why is anyone surprise? The US is educationing these people to go back to their country to teach their people to kill our people. I am sure that we are also giving away technology that is counter productive to us also. I am sure all of our tax dollars are going towards these causes!
Posted by: B | February 1, 2007, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm
It’s interesting how foreigners can get here easily and go to driving and flying schools and the like and at the same time I’ve learned I, a US citizen must soon get a federal ID card with all kinds of technology to track where I am. I’m having trouble trying to figure out who’s my friend and who’s my enemy. I’m not sure I can trust anybody anymore and somehow I think this is by design.
Posted by: Horus | January 31, 2008, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm