New York Martial Artist and Jazz Musician Charged with Terrorism

New York Newsday: Shah, a jazz musician and martial arts instructor, was charged with conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaida after allegedly taking a formal oath of loyalty to the group along with Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir, 50, who also was arrested in May.

According to prosecutors, the two American citizens had sworn the oath as they conspired to use their skills in martial arts and medicine to aid international terrorism. Sabir also has pleaded not guilty.

The government said an undercover FBI agent recorded a conversation before Brent's arrest in which Shah mentioned the names of several students including Brent.

The government said Shah told the agent that he planned to call Brent, a longtime student, to ask him to help make a demonstration video to be used for martial arts training of holy warriors.

After his arrest, Shah told investigators that he had trained Brent in martial arts while they lived in Beacon, N.Y., in 2001 and that they often watched martial arts training videos and other videos about holy war, or jihad, in Bosnia, the complaint said.

The Jawa Report: There is no way in the world that a Muslim, a doctor, a family man, or a jazz musician could ever be a terrorist sympathizer.

Jihad Watch: "I could be joking and smiling and then cutting their throats in the next second."

Official Indictment on Findlaw: In one conversation, in or about October 2003, SHAH informed CS-1 that he was a "professor" of the "martial arts" but that he was currently not "training" any "brothers" and noted that after September 11, 2001, various mosques had, in fact, prevented SHAH from continuing such training.