LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 16, 2002 - 3A
CRIM4E
Drunk attempts
to punch officer
A person with more than a .40 blood
alcohol level took a swing at a Depart-
ment of Public Safety officer Saturday
evening. The officer was helping
Huron Valley Ambulance transport the
man to the University Hospital Emer-
gency Room, according to DPS
reports.
Spontaneous fire
extinguished on
State Street
A trash can at the corner of State
and William streets was accidentally
set on fire Thursday night, DPS reports
state. The small fire was put out by a
bystander. No one witnessed who set
the fire, and there was no damage to
property.
Racist graffiti
found in W. Quad
stairwell
A caller reported Thursday night
seeing racist graffiti on the 3rd floor of
the Cambridge House of West Quad
Residence Hall, according to DPS
reports. The graffiti was next to the
north stairwell.
Media equipment
cart looted and
destroyed
A caller reported early Wednesday
there was an LSA media cart and a TV
smashed on the sidewalk on State
Street near Angell Hall, DPS reports
state.
Health Center is
looking into porn
An employee of the University
Health Center reported Wednesday
morning that her department received a
bill for a pornographic website
accessed Sunday, according to DPS
reports.
Strange man with
bullhorn strikes
man on Diag
A man reported Wednesday morn-
ing that an older man struck him
while crossing the Diag, DPS reports
state. The suspect was described as
an older male wearing a cowboy hat;
holding a bullhorn and wearing a
sign on his front and back. The man
was located, but no prosecution was
sought.
Broken Schlitz
causes injury to
person's leg
A person walking on Murfin Road
near the North Campus Recreation
Building hurt his leg Wednesday night
when subjects from a moving Black
Dodge Neon threw out a 40 ounce bot-
tle of Schlitz Malt liquor, according to
DPS reports. The bottle broke near the
victim's foot, causing a two-inch gash
in the lower left leg and two smaller
puncture wounds. The victim was treat-
ed at the University Hospital Emer-
gency Room.
Clothes stolen in
Alice Lloyd
A male resident of Alice Lloyd
Residence Hall reported Tuesday
night that a suit, shirt and trench coat
were stolen from his closet sometime
between Aug 25 and Sept 10, DPS
reports state.
Diag flag sullied
and repaired
A caller reported Saturday morning
that the flag on the Diag was broken or
tampered with, according to DPS
reports. The flag was repaired.
University Hospital
staffer breaks
man's dentures
A man reported Saturday morning
his dentures were broken by a staff
member at the University Hospital,
according to DPS reports.
Woman's bike
snatched from
State Street
A woman reported Saturday night
that her red and blue Huffy bicycle was
stolen from the north side of a build-
ing, DPS reports state. The bicycle was
Ozone House aids, comforts troubled teens
Samantha Woll
Daily Staff Reporter
Each year, more than 600 University students
volunteer at more than 35 various community set-
tings - dedicating four to six hours every week
- combining service with learning through a
program called Project Community.
This blending of hands-on volunteering
with weekly student-led seminars provides
students with an interdisciplinary approach to
problem solving through real-life experience.
One of the organizations Project Community
works with is Ozone House, a nonprofit
organization that provides free, confidential
and voluntary help for teens in crisis and their
families.
Since it opened in 1969, Ozone House has
been offering services that are much different
from those offered by traditional agencies:
The free counseling, shelter and support help
young people who have nowhere else to turn,
giving them the confidence, skills, emotional
stability and network of support they need in
order to develop into healthy and productive
adults.
Will Osler, the volunteer coordinator for Ozone
House, sais one of the things he finds amazing is
to watch young people who originally came seek-
ing help helping other young people. "Kids come
seeking services, get their life moving in a posi-
tive direction, and then come back to help others
in their situation."
"People don't realize that teens have that
capacity," Osler added.
LSA sophomore Gina Valo, coordinator for
the Ozone House section of Sociology 389,
emphasized another significant link between
the volunteers and the teens who come seeking
services.
"Every now and then you have a chance to talk
to someone that you feel a personal connection
with," Valo said. "When that happens, it is one of
the most rewarding experiences."
Valo explained that when she counsels teens on
the crisis line, "What's going on in the moment
has to do with past issues that are resurfacing."
These issues range from homeless kids and
pregnant teens - for whom Ozone House helps
to find housing, learn life skills and obtain jobs
- to young people who have had years of physi-
cal, emotional and sexual abuse.
Osler, citing one example almost as a
metaphor for numerous other cases, articulated
that "most kids want to finish school but need
some help."
Valo, who has been volunteering at the Ozone
House for more than 9 months, explained that,
"One of the biggest problems teens face is that
they don't really know themselves.".
"When they know themselves, they are less
likely to make poor decisions," Valo said.
Highlighting a central goal of Ozone House -
to build deep lasting relationships with young
people - Valo recognizes underlying commonal-
ities shared between the volunteers and those that
they are counseling.
"Especially as young as I am, I can identify
with a lot of these people," Valo said.
Divergent reasons draw various people to
Ozone House. Osler began working as a vol-
unteer on the crisis line and after a year start-
ed working as a volunteer coordinator.
Ozone House volunteer Robyn Kimmey was
attracted due to her profession as a high
school teacher and her love of working with
kids.
Valo's inspiration came from a leadership camp
four years ago, in which she "learned how impor-
tant each of my peers are." At camp, Valo real-
ized her desire to become an inspirational speaker
in order to share with others this difficult but
important lesson.
"It's a commitment," said Valo, who plans to
Many University students volunteer at the Ozone
House on Washtenaw Avenue, which cares for
struggling teenagerss.
continue working at Ozone House in the future.
Encouraging everyone who has an interest in
volunteering at the Ozone house to take advan-
tage of the volunteer opportunities offered, Valo
explained that even though it involves a lot of lis-
tening and patience, "being a crisis counselor is
something that anyone can do."
Yemeni men accused of terrorism
Weeding away
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Five American men charged
Saturday with supporting terrorism trained to use assault
rifles and other weapons at an al-Qaida camp in
Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden spoke about his
anti-American beliefs, authorities said.
The men, all in their 20s and of Yemeni descent,
appeared in court Saturday and were charged with unlaw-
fully providing material support and resources to foreign
terrorist organizations.
The judge entered an innocent plea for each and ordered
the men jailed until a detention hearing Wednesday. The
charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Officials said the discovery of the terrorist cell was con-
nected to information that also prompted the Bush admin-
istration to raise America's terror alert to "code orange" -
the second-highest - on the eve of the Sept. 11 attacks
anniversary.
Peter Ahearn, special agent in charge of the FBI's Buffa-
lo field office, said there was no immediate threat that
sparked the arrests.
"We did not find, at this point, anything specific that
they were planning," Ahearn said at an evening news con-
ference.
"We have the key players in western New York," Ahearn
said. "But if somebody has other information, we'd love to
hear about it."
"The United States law enforcement has identified,
investigated and disrupted an al-Qaida trained terrorist cell
on American soil," Deputy Attorney General Larry
Thompson said.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed by the
judge Saturday, all five men - Shafal Mosed, 24;
Faysal Galab, 26; Sahim Alwan, 29; Yasein Taher, 24;
and Yahya Goba, 25 - live within a few blocks of each
another in the Buffalo suburb of Lackawanna and
trained together.
FBI Special Agent Edward J. Needham wrote in the
complaint that unindicted co-conspirators told him Goba,
Alwan, Mosed and Taher attended al-Qaida's al-Farooq ter-
ror training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan, where they
were trained to use Kalashnikov assault rifle, handguns
and long range rifles.
One of the three co-conspirators said that Mosed also
trained to use heavy artillery and that bin Laden spoke to
the trainees, the agent said. The co-conspirators are not
named, but two are described as American citizens.
During the training camp, the men were lectured on
"Jihad (holy war), prayers and justification for using sui-
cide as a weapon," according to Needham's affidavit.
Needham said that in one interview, Alwan "stated that
he and his friends had attended terrorist camps" in the
spring and summer of 2001.
It was the same camp John Walker Lindh attended, but
officials declined to say if Lindh assisted with the investi-
gation.
"We do not want to get into the details of the investiga-
tion, but we have had great cooperation from the Muslim-
American community and we appreciate that a great deal,"
Thompson said.
The men said little in court, quietly answering only
"yes" or "no" when U.S. Magistrate H. Kenneth Schroeder
asked if they could afford lawyers.
Mosed, tall and slim, frequently used a copy of the com-
plaint to shield his face from courtroom spectators. After
answering Schroeder's questions, Galab issued a hearty
"Thank you, sir."
EMMA FOSDICK/Daily
University Engineering senior Tara Danneffel takes a study
break yesterday afternoon to do some fall weeding in her
Mary Street front yard.
Number of syphili1s
cases on the ris
PHOTOG/Oaily
Law enforcement officers stand guard at a toll booth plaza,
Friday, where three men who were later detained on
suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack, police said.
Family rebukes accusations
. DETROIT (AP) - Relatives of a
Michigan native accused of being
part of a terrorist cell describe the
suspect as an all-American guy who
works hard and loves to play soccer.
"He's pretty much the best one in
the family, the most respected," said
Abdulfatah Mosed of Detroit,
whose cousin, Shafal Mosed, was
arrested Friday night in the Buffalo
suburb of Lackawanna, N.Y.
Federal authorities announced
Saturday that Shafal M'osed and
four other men - all U.S.-born citi-
zens of Yemeni descent - had
trained at an al-Qaida terrorist
camp in Afghanistan where Osama
bin Laden gave a speech promoting
his anti-American and anti-Israeli
views.
The suspects appeared in court
Saturday and were charged with
providing material support to ter-
rorists.
Relatives who spoke about the
arrests said the charges were baf-
fling.
"He's not that type of person,"
Abdulfatah Mosed said of his
cousin.
He said Shafal was born in
Michigan and moved to New York
as a boy. When his father died sev-
eral years ago, Mosed said, Shafal's
mother remained because she had
relatives there for support.
He said the large family gathers
occasionally for barbecues and
beach holidays, but he couldn't
remember the last time Shafal
Mosed was in Detroit.
Abdulfatah Mosed said he's tight
with his cousin because of their
closeness in age. He said Shafal
Mosed "is pretty much a regular
American kid."
Shafal Mosed's uncle, Fadhl
Mosed of Detroit, said he was
dumbfounded by the government's
accusations.
"We love America more than our-
selves," Fadhl Mosed said.
In New York, Shafal Mosed's
brother, Albaneh Mosed, said that
Shafal is married with a 3-year-old
child, attended community college
and recently got a job as a telemar-
keter.
"If he was a terrorist, I'd be the
first to know," Albaneh Mosed said.
The government painted a differ-
ent picture.
Citing the complaint filed against
the men, Deputy Attorney General
Larry Thompson said two of the
men confirmed that they and six
associates attended a training camp
in Afghanistan and that Osama bin
Laden visited the camp. He said it
was the same camp attended by
John Walker Lindh.
Four of the men were arrested
Friday night after federal agents
raided several houses and a social
club. The fifth man was arrested
Saturday morning.
Three men arrested months ago
in the Detroit-area also are accused
of operating as a cell. They are
charged with conspiracy to provide
material support or resources to ter-
rorists. Those men, Karim Koubriti,
24, Ahmed Hannan, 34, and Farouk
Ali-Haimoud, 22, remain jailed.
DETROIT (AP) - Cases of a cen-
turies-old scourge are on the rise in
Detroit, and federal health officials say
the city has been slow to react to the
syphilis problem.
As of July 30, Detroit recorded
245 new cases and could see 500 by
year's end, according to a state
health official. That's well above
other cities that have grappled with a
syphilis problem. Baltimore reported
53 new cases as of June and Indi-
anapolis has 24 new cases through
August.
Left untreated in adults, syphilis can
cause brain damage, heart disease,
arthritis and eventually death.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta has
warned the Detroit Health Depart-
ment about the problem, The
Detroit News reported in story
yesterday.
In 1997, Detroit reported 94 new
cases. By 1999, it had doubled and
in 2000, the number hit 274. In a
May 2001 letter, written to the state
and Detroit health departments, the
federal agency said "syphilis elimi-
nation in Detroit is not possible"
unless critical issues such as hiring
key staff, accountability, and the
development of efficient disease
intervention systems were
addressed.
Two months later, officials with
the federal agency wrote: "If the
Detroit epidemic is going to be
under control the utilization of
every available state and local
resource is going to be required. ...
Your epidemic not only leads the
nation it also shows no sign of
slowing."
House explosion claims family
BANGOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - An early morning
explosion on Sunday demolished a southwestern Michigan
farmhouse, killing five family members who had just moved
in, authorities said.
Michigan State Police responded shortly after 2:30
a.m. to reports of a loud explosion and fire at Cherrytree
Farms, a commercial hog operation in Van Buren Coun-
buildings on the property, which is about 30 miles west
of Kalamazoo.
Insulation and other materials from the farmhouse
drifted at least 800 feet and the explosion rattled win-
dows three miles away in Bangor.
Lt. Mike Risko, commander of the state police post in
White Pigeon, said he had never seen a house so completely
m