Ohio Al Qaeda Member Admits WMD Plot

June 3, 2008— -- An Ohio man who is an admitted member of al Qaeda has pleaded guilty to a federal terrorism charge and could spend 20 years in prison for the crime.

Christopher Paul, also known by several other aliases including Abdul Malek, entered a guilty plea to one count of "conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, namely explosives to be used as bombs" against U.S. citizens and property outside the United States, the plea agreement states.

Paul's involvement in terrorist activities reaches back almost 20 years, and includes overseas terror training, plots against Americans in the United States and abroad, and communication with terror cells around the world, according to his admissions in the statement of facts filed along with his plea.

He provided material support for terrorist by "committing jihad" -- attending training camps and providing equipment to be used as part of a conspiracy to kill or seriously injure people, the document says.

The statement of facts details Paul's involvement with terrorist activities, starting with trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early 1990s. At that time, al Qaeda recruited individuals for operations and trained thousands of mujahedeen in those countries.

When he arrived in Pakistan, Paul "stayed at the Beit Ul Ansar guest house, located in Peshawar, Pakistan." The facility was associated with al Qaeda, the document adds.

From there, Paul traveled to Afghanistan to train at a camp run by the terror group. The statement of facts notes that "The training included, but was not limited to, map reading, climbing, use of assault rifles, grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, small unit tactics, and hand-to-hand combat."

Once Paul completed his introductory al Qaeda training, he moved to the Beit ur Salam guest house, "which was exclusively for al Qaeda members." At that point, Paul received advanced training, including instruction on "explosives and explosive devices." Upon completion, he joined the mujahedeen fight in Afghanistan.