Boca Raton Doctor Arrested on Terrorism Charge
Update: New details are available from the 18- page Complaint. And the New York Times adds some context.
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original post:
A 50 year old physician from Palm Beach Boca Raton has been arrested at his home on a federal charge that he provided material support to terrorists. The AP reports the charges are out of the Southern District of New York and that the doctor is believed to have treated terrorists in Saudi Arabia. A second defendant, Tarik Shah, a New York martial arts expert, is alleged to have trained terrorists. Both are American citizens.
Prosecutors said Sabir agreed to treat jihadists, or holy warriors, in Saudi Arabia. Shah agreed to train them in hand-to-hand combat. The one-count complaint details a sting operation from 2003 to 2005 in which the two men took an oath pledging their allegiance to al-Qaida.
From the Sun Sentinel article:
Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was being held in the Palm Beach County Jail waiting to appear in U.S. District Court.
One of Dr. Sabir's associates has nothing but praise for him:
Dr. Daniel McBride, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton and a friend of Sabir, said Sabir works in the emergency rooms of two hospitals in Palm Beach County.
"That's absurd," McBride said of the charge against Sabir. "He is a quality guy and a quality physician. He's all about helping others. That's why he became a doctor. "It would shock me beyond belief if [the allegation] was true."
As for his background,
Sabir graduated from City College of New York with a bachelor's degree in biology and in 1981 graduated from Columbia University's medical school with a specialty in emergency medicine, according to Florida state records and Columbia's alumni Web site. He practiced in the New York City area in the 1980s and '90s before moving to Florida. Sabir received his Florida driver's license in 2002 and his medical license in 2003, according to state records.
He has no medical disciplinary actions against him in Florida, according to state records. He had none against him in New York, according to New York state records that date back to 1990.
More details of the sting here.
[Title edited to correct residence of doctor- it's in Boca Raton, not Palm Beach.]
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