WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-Pro Al-Qaeda Web site Run by a Charlotte Man

Pro Al-Qaeda Web site Run by a Charlotte Man

WBTV is investigating a 22-year old running a pro-Al-Qaeda website out of his parent's home in north Charlotte.

Image, after graphic image... all act as a cheerleader for Jihad, with the bloody violence always at the expense of Americans.

"It's not a game," says WBTV Anchor Molly Grantham who is working these reports.  "It's not about some kid ‘cutting and pasting' stuff to a random blog.  The site is so popular it's reportedly listed among the top one percent of one hundred Internet sites in the world."

Some cyberterrorism experts are publicly wondering, even asking Capitol Hill, just how connected is this 22-year old Charlottean to the war on terrorism?

Grantham tracked him, and asked him directly.

Click the video link to the right to see the story, and get an idea for what his website shows.

Information from the story is also listed below.

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Inside a typical-looking north Charlotte home, lives a 22-year old Saudi American with some extreme ideas. 

He runs a controversial anti-American website called revolution.muslimpad.com.

Some experts describe it as a "call to Jihad."

The site lists Samir Khan as one poster.

All indications are he runs the whole thing.

His family reportedly moved him to the U-S when he was seven years old.

If you read his words and click on attached links, you'll see bomb videos.

September 11^th is replayed.

There's a call to arms.

One video shows a dead American hanging out the back of a Jeep.

Another link - another especially disturbing link - is a music video of children training in a terrorist-type camp.

The American government is aware of this website. 

In fact, sites like Khan's are the focus of a 23-page report released just weeks ago on Capitol Hill. 

WBTV obtained a copy.

The report repeatedly warns of the dangers. 

Like the following one line:  "Over the last year, Al-Qaeda also made a tactical decision to increase its production of online propaganda and make more of it accessible to English-speaking audiences."

Private investigator Bill Warner is in Florida studying Jihad-ist websites across the world.

WBTV traveled to Sarasota to interview him because he says Charlotteans need to recognize someone in their backyard is helping the enemy.

"His website is concise. Easy to read. Informative. If you want to be a terrorist, this is where you go," says Warner.  "He's a great facilitator for Al-Qaeda."

Is he? Is Khan working for Islamic extremists?

Asking him isn't easy.

We knock.

We leave notes.

We even see a national news crew from FoxNews.com stake out his neighborhood looking for an interview.

He ignored them, too.

We finally catch Khan walking into work in south Charlotte, a week-and-a-half-ago.

"...May I talk with you about your website?", asks Grantham.

"Uh, no," says Khan.

She continues.  "Are you helping recruit for Al Qaeda?".

"No," he replies.

"Not at all?"

"No," he repeats. 

"Helping recruit for terrorism?" she asks.

"No," he says.

He says he's not... Warner doesn't believe him.

"Oh, come on!," says the private investigator.  "It's a war zone here... these people want to kill us."

Warner says the best solution is to try and shut down Khan's site - and ones like it.
Warner has helped do this in other cases before.

But he says Khan's web host -- muslimpad.com -- isn't going anywhere.

"The muslimpad.com is hosted out of Ahman, Jordan... so forget that," says Warner.  "You're not going to shut it down."

It is Khan's First Amendment right to express his views.

He knows how to walk the fine line well.  He never solicits violence. 

He doesn't show evidence of working directly with militant leaders. He just says what he wants through a keyboard and monitor.

Not, apparently, in person.

"Samir, are you anti-American?" asks Grantham.  He doesn't respond.

"You seem to have a lot to say.  I'm giving you a chance here to say some things," she follows.
He says nothing and uses his security card to beep himself into work.

Tuesday night at 11, WBTV will air a second part to this investigation.

We've uncovered some information about Khan's former job.  Where he worked could end up being of national concern.

The FBI will neither "confirm nor deny if they are investigating" Khan or his website.