Brother denounces terror arrest.

Byline: TIM CHRISTIE The Register-Guard

Patrice Lumumba Ford was named for the first and last democratically elected prime minister of the Congo, a charismatic anti-colonialist who was assassinated in 1961 and who is remembered today as one of Africa's great heroes.

Today, Ford is sitting in a Portland jail, charged with conspiring to wage war against the United States.

Ford's half-brother, Eugene attorney James Britt III, said Ford's indictment last week is "ludicrous and outrageous."

"I believe my brother is being persecuted for his religious beliefs and his political beliefs," Britt said Monday.

A federal grand jury in Portland indicted Ford and five other people last week. All six were charged with conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda, and conspiracy to contribute services to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Federal authorities said Ford's beliefs had nothing to do with his indictment.

"I would say Mr. Ford is not being prosecuted for his religious beliefs," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Gorder, the lead prosecutor on the case, "and his brother has not seen the evidence."

"The FBI doesn't believe in pursuing charges against people for their religious or political beliefs," said Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the bureau's Portland office.

Britt said the charges against his brother are bogus.

"My brother has not conspired or engaged in any covert or overt acts to overthrow the government of the United States," he said.

Ford, 31, is a black American who converted to Islam, his brother said. It is true he took a trip to China last year, and it is true he wired money - Britt said it was $100 - to a friend in China, he said. The friend, according to the indictment, was Habis Abdulla Al Saoub, also among the six indicted last week in Portland.

But the government has wrongly construed the travel and the wire to mean his brother was trying to aid al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Britt said.

"This is an attempt by the government to feed into this hysteria," he said.

It was "incredibly inappropriate" for Attorney General John Ashcroft to announce the indictments in a nationally broadcast news conference, Britt said.

"My belief the reason he did that was to feed on hysteria and try to garner support for President Bush's upcoming war in Iraq," he said.

Britt said his brother, who is married and has a 20-month-old child, values his American citizenship.

"A couple of things he values about being an American citizen is the right to practice his religion and he also values his right to question or voice his opinion about issues and policies the U.S. government may be engaged in," he said.

Britt said his brother believes he'll be vindicated and views his legal troubles as a test for his commitment to Islam.

"He is a Muslim, and in the Islamic religion, to go through a trial or tribulation, to have someone punish you because of your belief in Allah, is actually a blessing," he said.

"It is considered a true testament to your faith in Islam."

Ford attended his brother's arraignment last week, but he said he doesn't know what role he'll play in his brother's legal defense.

"Because he is my brother, it's probably not a good idea for me to be part of his defense team," he said. "It's a highly emotional case for me and I'm kind of close to it."

Britt is a graduate of the University of Oregon Law School and former director of the UO's Office of Student Advocacy. He was appointed to the Lane Community College board in 1998, but lost when he ran for election the next year.

Britt is eight years older than Ford. They have different fathers, but grew up in the same household.

Ford earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and East Asian studies from Portland State University in 1998. He spent a year in China at Johns Hopkins University's language program and earned a master's in Chinese studies. He interned in the Portland mayor's office in 1986, 1998 and 1999.

Most recently, he taught physical education at an Islamic school in Tigard, operated a private shuttle service and worked to resettle recently arrived Muslim refugees into the Portland community.

Britt said Ford's parents named him after Lumumba "because they wanted him to have a name that reflected his heritage. They were supportive of Patrice Lumumba's political movement in Belgian Congo, and they felt he was a great man."

Lumumba led the fight for Congo independence in the 1950s and was elected its first prime minister in 1960, but the army overthrew the government two months later.

In 1961, Lumumba was captured, assassinated and dismembered by Belgian intelligence agencies, according to "The Assassination of Lumumba," a book published in 1999 by sociologist Luco de Witte.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.