Inside terror: Canadian charged in murder of 5 US soldiers in Iraq

An Iraqi national living in Canada was indicted in New York on Friday on charges that he helped run a secret network that sent potential suicide bombers from Tunisia to Iraq to target US military forces.

Faruq Khalil Muhammad Isa was charged with aiding in the murder of five American soldiers who died in an April 2009 truck bomb attack near Mosul, Iraq.

The seven-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, also charges him with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and providing material support to a terror conspiracy.

Mr. Isa, 38, has dual Iraqi and Canadian citizenship. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

He has been in custody in Canada since January and is awaiting extradition to the US to stand trial. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

The case offers a glimpse into the murky world of Iraqi resistance fighters who allegedly trolled Arab countries for young, impressionable Muslims willing to give their lives for a promise of Islamic martyrdom.

It also offers insight into the extensive reach of US and allied intelligence and law enforcement officials in the global war on terror. According to court documents, the investigation began in 2009 and included US, Canadian, and Tunisian investigators.

Officials in Canada installed court-approved wiretaps and monitored Isa’s telephone, computer, Internet, and e-mail accounts. What they discovered was a group of would-be holy warriors who allegedly encouraged others to travel to Iraq to kill American soldiers.

In October 2008, four prospective suicide bombers left Tunisia and traveled to Libya. They were smuggled to Syria, where they later crossed the border into Iraq, according to court documents.

On March 31, 2009, two of the four Tunisians allegedly carried out a suicide truck bomb attack at an Iraqi police station in Mosul. Seven individuals died and 17 were wounded, documents say.

Two days later, the brother of one of the suicide bombers received a phone call in Tunisia. The caller said the brother had been “martyred in combat with the Americans in Mosul.” The caller reportedly repeated the statement three times and then said: “May God witness what I say. God is great. You will not be receiving any more calls.”

The attack on US forces came less than two weeks later on April 10, 2009. It happened at a US outpost near Mosul as a five-vehicle military convoy was leaving the base.

A large dump truck accelerated toward the gate, drawing gunfire from Iraqi guards. The dump truck continued through the checkpoint, passing four of the US military vehicles, but then detonated next to the fifth vehicle.

The blast left a crater 60 feet deep, documents say.

Killed in the attack were: Staff Sgt. Gary Woods, 24, of Lebanon Junction, Ky.; Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hall, 32, of Elk Grove , Calif.; Sgt. Edward Forrest Jr., 25, of St. Louis; Cpl. Jason Pautsch, 20, of Davenport, Iowa; and Pfc. Bryce Gaultier, 22, of Cyprus, Calif.

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