Narseal Batiste

Narseal Batiste aka Brother Naz, Prince Manna is one of the seven men arrested by the FBI on charges of trying to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Overview

Batiste is the leader of the Seas of David in Liberty City, Florida. He is married and he and his wife Minerva have three boys and a girl.

Batiste's relatives have described him as a "Moses-like" figure who roamed his neighborhood wearing a robe and carrying a crooked wooden cane as he recruited young men, based his teachings on those of the Moorish Science Temple of America. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/25/wterr25.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/25/ixnews.html]

Batiste once drove a FedEx truck in Chicago. His father, Narcisse Batiste, sister and two of his brothers are Christian ministers. [http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-sears24copy1.html] His mother, Audrey Batiste, died in 2000. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2115811]

Indictment

According to the indictment [http://news.lp.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/terrorism/usbatiste62206ind.html] , Batiste told an FBI informant posing as an Al Qaeda member around December 16, 2005 that he was organizing a mission to build an "Islamic Army" in order to wage jihad against the US with his "soldiers" to destroy the Sears Tower. He requested a list of materials and equipment needed to wage jihad, including boots, uniforms, machine guns, radios, and vehicles.

Around December 22 2005, he provided said "Al Qaeda representative" with shoe sizes of his "soldiers" and received military boots a week later. Around that same time he requested radios, binoculars, bulletproof vests, vehicles and $50,000 cash.

On February 19 2006, in a meeting with the "Al Qaeda representative," along with Patrick Abraham, he expressed interest in attending Al Qaeda training during April and gave further details of the mission to wage "a full ground war" against the United States in order to "kill all the devils we can" in a mission that would "be just as good or greater than 9/11." He requested a video camera for the trip to Chicago.

Around March 10 2006 he along with Lyglenson Lemorin met with the FBI plant in Miami-Dade County, Florida and swore fealty to Al Qaeda. Around March 16 2006, along with Patrick Abraham, Stanley Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augustine, Batiste met with the "Al Qaeda representative," swore an oath of loyalty to Al Qaeda and discussed plans to bomb the FBI building in five cities. At this meeting, Batiste took possession of a video camera and promised to obtain "good footage" of the North Miami Beach FBI building.

Around March 23 2006, Batised asked the FBI informant for a rental van for himself and his conspirators to take reconnaissance footage of the FBI building. Around March 24 2006, Patrick Abraham drove Batiste by car by the FBI and the National Guard Armory buildings in Miami-Dade, Florida. Around the same date, they traveled with the "Al Qaeda representative" to purchase a digital camera. Around March 26 2006, Batiste and Burson Augistin provided the FBI informant with photographs and video footage of the FBI building and the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building, federal courthouse, Federal Detention Center, and the Miami Police Department buildings. They met again around April 6 to discuss the photographs and footage.

Around May 24 2006, Batiste told the "Al Qaeda representative" that he was experiencing delays because of various problems within his organization but that he wanted to continue his mission and maintain his relationship with Al Qaeda.

External links

* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060624/ap_on_re_us/terrorism_investigation Yahoo News Report] (Link dead as of 04:12, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
* [http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/23/miami.reax/index.html CNN News Report]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/25/wterr25.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/25/ixnews.html Sect inspired 'leader of Sears Tower plot'] , Telegraph UK, June 25 2006
* [http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-sears24copy1.html Chicagoan behind terror scheme] Chicago Sun Times, June 24 2006 (Link dead as of 04:12, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
* [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2115811 Father: Plot Suspect Not in 'Right Mind'] , AP/ABC news
* [http://news.lp.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/terrorism/usbatiste62206ind.html "U.S. v. Batiste, et al."] , FindLaw, June 22 2006
* [http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=batiste62306%2Ehtm Court Case Text as GIF images] , PipelineNews.org