Clifford Sobel. A U.S. official at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia declined to talk on the record.
Brazil’s stance on terrorism is reflected in the case of Ali, a Lebanese-born resident of Brazil.
In 2009, the FBI contacted Brazilian federal police about Ali. He appeared to live a quiet life, running an Internet cafe to support his Brazilian wife and daughter. But Ali was also broadcasting anti-American content in Arabic from a password-protected website and could be connected to a terrorist group, federal prosecutor Ana Leticia Absy told the AP in a statement.
Ali was arrested in April on hate speech charges and held for the maximum 21 days. The contents of his computers were investigated, but he wasn’t found to be a high risk. So he was released, Absy said,in May 2009.
Alexandre Cassettari, the Sao Paulo federal judge who authorized his release, said in a statement that Ali didn’t have a criminal record and his influence and control were being monitored. He is still being prosecuted on charges of racism, racketeering, and inciting criminal activity.
Later that year, the head of the Brazilian Federal Police’s intelligence division alleged during a Congressional hearing that Ali was linked to al-Qaida. In that deposition he concluded that Ali “was the global head of the Jihad Media Battalion and had performed duties for the terrorist group, ranging from propaganda, to logistics, recruitment, and other activities.”
Government officials, however, continue to deny the presence of alleged terrorists in the country.
The irony is that Brazil’s winning bid in 2009 for the Olympics was based in