Radical Muslim sect leader killed in FBI raid

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By Ben Conery

The FBI on Wednesday fatally shot the leader of a radical Muslim sect who preached a violent, separation theology and, authorities said, once remarked that law enforcement would have to shoot him before it could arrest him.

Luqman Ameen Abdullah fired a gun when FBI agents, who had come to arrest him on criminal charges, ordered him to drop his weapon, according to authorities. The agents fired back and killed Abdullah. An FBI dog was also fatally shot, though it was not immediately clear whose bullets killed the dog.

Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was the leader of the Detroit faction of a Sunni Islam group known as Ummah, which consists mainly of American blacks who converted to Islam while in prisons throughout the country. Abdullah had been convicted in 1981 of assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

According to authorities, the group advocates that a separate nation governed by Muslim law be carved out from U.S. territory. The FBI said an informant told the agency that Abdullah advocated spreading Islam through violent jihad and preached that the Koran permitted theft, robbery and other crimes as long as they benefited Islam.

"He regularly preaches anti-government and anti-law enforcement rhetoric," FBI agent Gary Leone wrote in an affidavit. "Abdullah and his followers have trained regularly in the use of firearms and continue to train in martial arts and sword fighting."

The FBI said the group has been involved in criminal activity for years.

Authorities had sought to arrest Abdullah and 10 followers on charges that include conspiracy to commit federal crimes, including theft from interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the insurance proceeds of arson, illegal possession and sale of firearms, and tampering with motor vehicle identification numbers.

Three men sought in the raid remained free Wednesday evening, but the FBI said the others were apprehended without incident.

Authorities said members of the group - which is led nationwide by convicted cop-killer Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rapp Brown - are known to be armed.

In addition to an informant telling authorities that Abdullah said police would have to shoot him before arresting him, according to court records, another informant told the FBI that Abdullah sometimes wore a bulletproof vest under his robe.

"Abdullah preaches that every Muslim should have a weapon, and should not be scared to use their weapon when needed," Mr. Leone wrote.

In one sermon, according to court records, Abdullah shouted at his followers, "Police, so what? Police die too! Feds die too! Do not carry a pistol if you're going to give it up to police. You give them a bullet."

Authorities said information about the group's violent tendencies led agents to take extra precautions when preparing to make the arrests.