A terrorist in the Navy?

A former Navy sailor was arrested on terrorism charges Wednesday for alleging mishandling classified information that ended up in the hands of a suspected terrorism financier.

Hassan Abujihaad, 31, of Phoenix, was arrested in a case that began in Connecticut and has stretched across the country and into Europe and the Middle East.

Abujihaad, who is also known as Paul R. Hall, is charged in the same case as Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money for terrorism. He is schedule be extradited to the U.S. to face trial.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. It looks like Abujihaad is part of a larger conspiracy also involving Derrick Shareef, the “Chicago Jihadi” who was busted while plotting a grenade attack on a mall:

Ahmad was arrested in 2004 but the case against Abujihaad apparently received a boost in December following the arrest of Derrick Shareef 22, of Genoa, Ill., near Chicago, who was accused of planning to use hand grenades to attack holiday shoppers at a mall.

According to the affidavit, Shareef and Abujihaad lived together in 2004 when Ahmad was arrested. After reading news reports of the case, Abujihaad became upset and said “I think this is about me,” Shareef told investigators.

It’s also interesting to note that the Washington Times named Abujihaad as a potential threat back in 2004:

According to an affidavit in the case, Mr. Ahmad communicated with a U.S. Navy enlistee aboard the USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer, who was said to be “sympathetic to al Qaeda causes.” The sailor tentatively has been identified as Hassan Abujihaad, who served aboard the Benfold in 2000 and 2001.

So what took so long to bust him?

BENZION ADDS–Hello?! Hello, McFly!!!

Dude starts off with the name “Paul R. Hall,” converts to Islam, and takes the name “Hassan Abujihaad.”

As you all no doubt recall from elementary-school Arabic class, “Abu” means “father.”

Guy changed his name to “Hassan, Father of Jihad.”