Lengthy criminal past revealed for Dearborn cleric tied to London terror attacker

Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jebril has criminal history

DEARBORN, Mich. – New questions have arisen about why one of the men involved in the London terror attack wasn't arrested before seven people were killed and dozens of others were injured.

New barriers have been set up near the London Bridge to keep cars off the sidewalks, but there's mounting anger over one of the attackers, who was reported to police multiple times before the incident.

Investigators are now working to uncover any possible ties between the attack and an extremist cleric from Dearborn.

It's unclear if Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jebril still lives in Dearborn, but neighbors said he was at his home until Monday afternoon, when the story about his possible connection to the London attack broke. They said he left and didn't return Monday night or Tuesday.

"Our freedom as a Muslim is the freedom of Islam," Musa Jebril said in one of his YouTube videos.

Musa Jebril, 46, is a Dearborn resident and, according to terror experts and the federal government, a favored influencer for ISIL fighters.

He's also a convicted felon who has served prison time.

He was previously convicted of insurance fraud and intent to pass false title on homes that he and his father owned in 1998. Jebril didn't serve any time for the convictions, only probation.

Federal officials indicted him and his father a decade later on several charges, including mail, wire, Social Security and bank fraud, failure to file income tax returns, money laundering and possession of firearms and ammunition by convicted felons

During the trial, federal officials discovered that Musa Jebril tried to bribe a juror, offering to pay for her wedding and a house if she held out and helped find him not guilty. The juror reported the incident and Musa Jebril and his father were found guilty on all 43 counts.

Musa Jebril served 100 months in prison.

After getting out of prison, Musa Jebril was on probation, and a trip to North Carolina to give a speech caught the attention of federal officials. The trip was a probation violation, and Judge Gerald Rosen revoked his social media and internet privileges, which stands to this day.

Musa Jebril's YouTube videos are popular with English-speaking ISIL trainers. They apparently take short sections and edit them with music and other production values.

Authorities claim that the lead terrorist in the London attack over the weekend listened to the videos.


About the Authors:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Professional.

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.