BLY, Ore. – The trial of a man convicted of plotting to help recruit for Al Qaeda has provided the fullest account yet of what went on a decade ago at a terrorism training camp in Oregon that never came to fruition.
According to the trial record, Oussama Kassir was enraged after first arriving at the Dog Cry Ranch near Bly, about 230 miles southeast of Portland, in December 1999.
He expected to be welcomed by Muslim recruits, eager to learn the ways of war. Instead, he got an Islamic leader from Seattle, a mentally impaired 18-year-old, and two women more interested in canning jars than jihad.
He expected access to a weapons armory. He got one pistol and a .22-caliber rifle.
Kassir recently was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the camp, which was intended to be an Islamic fighter training base but never fully materialized.
His alleged partners in the enterprise are awaiting extradition to the U.S.
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