[tk27]

Court urged to bar release of photos of terror-case source, By MARK REITER. Toledo Blade, May 2, 2006.

Terror case informant has had money woes : Toledoan declared bankruptcy in 1999
Friday, April 28, 2006
Christopher Evans, Mark Rollenhagen and Mike Tobin
The Plain Dealer

The paid informant at the center of the biggest terror case in Ohio has a history of financial problems that defense lawyers contend may have motivated his undercover work.

Darren L. Griffin, known as Bilal to Toledo Muslims and dubbed "The Trainer" by federal prosecutors, declared bankruptcy in Kentucky in 1999, and his tax refunds were garnisheed in Lucas County that same year to pay child support, court records show.

Griffin, 40, has three children by three different women.
The children were born in Toledo.

He provided information that led to the February arrest of three Toledo men accused of plotting to wage violent jihad, or holy war, against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.

Defense lawyers contend Griffin was motivated by money and not patriotism. Stephen Hartman, who represents Marwan El-Hindi, calls Griffin "the instigator."

"He's like the fireman who starts the fire so he can be the hero when he puts it out," Hartman said.

Leaders of Toledo's Muslim community have given qualified praise for Griffin.

"If these people were planning to harm this country, I am proud of him," said Ziad Hummos, who was president of Masjid Saad when Griffin and the three suspects prayed at the mosque.

Federal authorities won't confirm that Griffin is The Trainer. They also won't reveal how much the informant was paid during the four years he cooperated with the FBI. "We'll reserve our comment for the courtroom," said U.S. Attorney Greg White.
The circumstances of when and why Griffin went to work for the FBI are not clear, but some details about his background have emerged in recent weeks.

He was born in Lima, Ohio, and attended Woodward High School in Toledo, where he was a member of the Afro-American Club, played basketball and football and ran track.

The U.S. Army has not responded to requests for his military records, but he often told people he was involved in special operations and was a veteran of the first Gulf War.
Court records in Toledo show that between 1998 and 1999 he was injured and released from the Army.

What he did after he left the Army is unclear. In April 2000, he was working for a Lakewood security firm.

At some point, he started his own security business, Direct Action Security, in his apartment in a renovated building across the street from the Lucas County Courthouse in Toledo.

The company's Web site proclaims "Security Solutions For An Ever Changing World" and features images of automatic weapons, a rocket launcher, and satellite photographs.

Direct Action Security offers one-on-one and group training in weapons, tactics, and personal and property protection.

The site says Griffin can provide "top-notch surveillance services with a vast array of the most sophisticated audiovisual equipment."

Affidavits unsealed last week suggest that Griffin provided agents with surreptitiously made audio and video recordings of El-Hindi, Mohammad Amawi and Wassim Mazloum.

Amawi told his boss at a travel agency that he was being followed.

"I thought he was crazy," said Ashraf Zaim, who runs AZ Travel.

Eventually, Amawi pointed out a camera - much like one pictured on Griffin's Web site - on a utility pole outside the travel agency and said there was another on a pole near his apartment, Zaim said.
When Amawi traveled to Amman, Jordan, with Griffin, he called Zaim on Griffin's satellite telephone. When Griffin returned to the United States after a few weeks, he left his phone with Amawi in Jordan.

"He called everybody on it," Zaim said.

In addition to paying for the phone calls, the FBI apparently bought the airline tickets.

Zaim said Griffin gave Amawi money to buy the tickets through AZ's wholesaler, unwittingly saving the FBI money.

Griffin spent so much time chatting with Amawi at AZ that Zaim sometimes scolded Amawi for not paying enough attention to his work.

He described Griffin as affable and a regular at Muslim events.

Muslim leader Hummos also spoke highly of Griffin.

"Only kind things I remember about the man," Hummos said.

Link: Direct Action Security