New Haven Independent

A three-day hearing begins Wednesday in the case of a former U.S. Navy member accused of providing material support of terrorism and giving out classified info related to national defense.

Hassan Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, 31, of Arizona, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of espionage and terrorist charges in March. Abujihaad, who left the Navy in 2002, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of both counts of terrorism and espionage charges.

Prosecutors say Abujihaad leaked previously classified information about the movements of a United States Navy battle group, a group charged with “enforcing sanctions against the Taliban and engaging in missions against Al Qaeda.” He leaked the info to a London-based organization called Azzam Publications, according to prosecutors.

Abujihaad is accused of buying videos from Azzam Publications that supported violent jihad. In email correspondence, he “voiced enmity toward America, praised Usama bin Laden and the mujahideen, praised the October 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole — which ABUJIHAAD described as a ‘martyrdom operation,’” according to court documents.

Two British nationals, Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan have been indicted for conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists through Azzam Publications.

Abujihaad is expected to arrive in New Haven for a three-day evidentiary hearing before Judge Mark R. Kravitz at the federal courthouse on Church Street.

With such a serious terrorism case coming to town, local security will likely be heightened.

In a recent CT Law Tribune column, trail lawyer Karen Torre questioned the New Haven police’s ability to be counted on for security when, according to her testimony, an NHPD officer who guards the tunnel under the courthouse has been found asleep while on duty there. “The NHPD administration has amply demonstrated that it cannot be trusted with our lives,” she wrote.

City spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said the PD had no information to corroborate that claim, even though Torre claims she has written documentation, submitted in court, of the officer’s shut-eyed offense.

U.S. Marshal John Bardelli, who oversees courthouse security, said the feds won’t be asking for extra city cops to bolster security. “The New Haven police department has been cooperating with us. We expect no significant increase from them,” at least not immediately.

“We will provide adequate security,” continued Bardelli, “but specifically what we’re doing is not public information.”