TOO DARN CLOSE TO HOME!!!

[vbhoutex]

Houston Agents Charge Man With Trying To Sell Bomb To Terrorists
Suspect Makes Afternoon Court Appearance

POSTED: 3:09 pm CDT May 23, 2005
UPDATED: 3:13 pm CDT May 23, 2005

HOUSTON -- A 68-year-old man who told undercover agents he has "no loyalty for America" has been arrested and charged with trying to build a bomb and sell it to an affiliate of al-Qaida, U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby announced Monday.

Ronald Allen Grecula, of Bangor, Pa., was arrested Friday in Houston during a meeting with undercover FBI agents. During that meeting, Grecula indicated willingness to build and sell an explosive device that was to be used against Americans, according to court documents.

Grecula was set to make his initial court appearance Monday. He has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Grecula told a confidential source for the FBI that he wanted to build a large bomb for al-Qaida or any other terrorist group willing to pay him. Negotiations with the confidential source and later undercover officers continued between April and last Friday, according to the complaint against him.

Grecula told the source he could buy all the components for the bomb at a welding store. He was educated as a mechanical engineer and experiments with alternative fuels and energy, according to the criminal complaint.

During the Friday meeting in Houston with the confidential source and an undercover officer who presented himself as an al-Qaida agent, Grecula said he would be willing to build the bomb in exchange for custody of his two children.

Grecula had previously been arrested in Malta for parental kidnapping. He was imprisoned in Pennsylvania before being released in March 2003.

At one point in the meeting about building the bomb, Grecula compared himself to Spartacus, according to the criminal complaint.

"He formed an army and he fought against Rome. He was tortured in prison, he was beat up, took his family, killed his friends, etc.," Grecula said during the meeting videotaped by authorities. "So, you could say in a way I am like a Spartacus. ... So, that's it, I have no loyalty to America."

The undercover FBI agent pretending to be an al-Qaida operative asked Grecula if he had a problem with his terrorist group killing "a bunch of Americans."

"I can stand it," Grecula replied.


Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[depotoo]

yep - that is scary! glad they got him!