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# Military center a possible target
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/tanks-for-memories/
- Published: 2005-08-18T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:35:39.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Crime, Mid-City, #archive-import

*Bank robbery busts lead FBI to student*

MID-CITY — A recent counter-terrorism investigation has led to the arrest of a Santa Monica College student and the discovery that a local military recruitment center may have been a potential bomb target.

Pakistani national Hammad Riaz Samana, 21, was taken into custody Aug. 2 and has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Federal officials would not say what charges he could face.

The arrest of Samana, an SMC student from Inglewood who has been living in the United States for at least three years, is part of a terror probe that began when Torrance police arrested Levar Haney Washington, 25, and Gregory Vernon Patterson, 21, on July 5 for a series of gas station robberies.

Torrance police searched an apartment and discovered a list of possible sites targeted for Sept. 11, 2005\. That list included three National Guard facilities in the Los Angeles area, including a military recruitment center at the corner of 20th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. That list also included the Israeli Consulate and several synagogues, according to recent news reports.

The FBI was subsequently notified. Laura Eimiller, FBI spokeswoman, said the bureau wouldn’t comment on specifics related to the terror probe, only that the case remains under investigation.

It was unclear what led authorities from Washington and Patterson to Samana.

Lt. Rod Irvine, spokesperson for the Torrance police, would neither confirm nor deny whether a Santa Monica military recruitment center was listed as a possible target, as reported Tuesday on ABC World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson.

Tom Mrozek, a spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, would not comment on any facet of the charges related to Samana, including whether he had retained an attorney.

Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts, Jr. said he knew about the Torrance arrest through the intelligence community when he met with elected leaders in closed session last week and requested $2 million worth of additional security measures be taken throughout downtown Santa Monica, including surveillance cameras.

“I was aware of this information when I talked to the council last week and any implication it had for Santa Monica,” Butts said.

The SMPD learned last month that a possible probe of the Santa Monica Pier was conducted by suspected Middle Eastern operatives who may be involved in a terrorist organization. A citizen on July 3 spotted three men suspiciously videotaping specific areas of the pier, including access roads and the SMPD’s substation.

Those men also have been seen video-taping in other Southern California cities and tourist attractions in recent months. There’s been no connection drawn between the two investigations.

Jason Penny, public affairs officer for the local U.S. Navy recruitment center at 2020 Santa Monica Blvd., said there has been no “specific” threat his office received regarding a bombing.

However, Penny said a mechanism is in place by which information regarding various terrorist threats can be gauged and responded to.

Both Washington and Patterson have pleaded not guilty to robbery charges in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Washington has been jailed at California State Prison, Sacramento. That facility has housed members of a prison-based Islamic group known for its militant views, according to news reports.

Meanwhile, Patterson’s attorney, Winston McKesson, denies his client has connections to any extremist groups.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 18, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081805.pdf?ref=smdp.com)