Evan Kohlmann

Evan F. Kohlmann is a terrorism specialist who has been an expert witness in numerous trials, works as an investigator for the NEFA Foundation, and is a terrorism analyst for NBC News. He has consulted for the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Scotland Yard's SO-15 Counter Terrorism Command.

One of his analyses was of Abu Sulaiman al-Makki an early disciple of Abdullah Azzam and then a clerical adviser to Osama bin Laden, who eventually surrendered to Saudi Arabia under an offer of amnesty. A U.S. source called him "sympathizer" and "spiritual adviser," but that he is "not particularly significant." Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of Saudi intelligence, called him "the standby cleric of bin Laden to whom bin Laden turned for advice and religious fatwas when he needed them...He could not walk and that probably prevented him from any actual terrorist attacks, although being with bin Laden and being in the cult of bin Laden, he probably participated in providing religious fatwas that condoned the crimes that bin Laden committed." He lost the use of his legs as a result of combat injuries in Bosnia. He surrendered to the Saudis under a one-month amnesty, although he was associated with the specific acts for which amnesty had been offered: acts within Saudi Arabia.

Testimony
Mr. Kohlmann has served as an approved expert witness in various federal terrorism trials--including court testimony in sixteen cases:


 * United States v. Sabri Benkhala (Eastern District of Virginia, 2004)
 * United States v. Ali Timimi (Eastern District of Virginia, 2005)
 * United States v. Uzair Paracha (Southern District of New York, 2005) (link to Daubert ruling)
 * United States v. Ali Asad Chandia (Eastern District of Virginia, 2006)
 * United States v. Yassin Aref (Northern District of New York, 2006)
 * United States v. Sabri Benkhala (Eastern District of Virginia, 2007)
 * United States v. Rafiq Sabir (Southern District of New York, 2007)
 * United States v. Emadeddine Muntasser et al. (District of Massachusetts, 2007)
 * United States v. Hassan Abu Jihaad (District of Connecticut, 2008) (link to Daubert ruling)
 * United States v. Mohammed Zaki Amawi et al. (Northern District of Ohio, 2008)
 * United States v. Mohamed Ibrahim Shnewer et al. (District of New Jersey, 2008)
 * United States v. Salim Hamdan (Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunals, 2008)
 * United States v. Ali Hamza al-Bahlul (Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunals, 2008)
 * United States v. Oussama Kassir (Southern District of New York, 2009)
 * United States v. Syed Haris Ahmed (Northern District of Georgia, 2009) (link to Daubert ruling)
 * United States v. Ehsanul Islam Sadequee (Northern District of Georgia, 2009)

Mr. Kohlmann has also testified nine times as an approved expert witness during criminal cases in Europe and Australia, including the following:


 * International Prosecutors v. Abduladhim Maktouf (Supreme Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina [SUD-BIH], June 2005)
 * Regina v. Mohammed Ajmal Khan and Palvinder Singh (Snaresbrook Crown Court, UK, 2006)
 * H.M.A. v. Mohammed Atif Sidique (Glasgow High Court, Scotland, 2007)
 * Regina v. Samina Malik (Old Bailey Crown Court, UK, 2007)
 * Regina v. Hassan Mutegombwa (Old Bailey Crown Court, UK, 2007)
 * State Prosecutor for Serious Economic Crimes v. Al-Aqsa Foundation (High Court in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007)
 * Regina v. Belal Khazaal (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia, 2008)
 * Regina v. Imad Shoubaki (Southwark Crown Court, UK, 2008)
 * Public Prosecutor v. Hammad Khurshid et al. (Glostrup Court in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2008)

Education

 * degree in International Politics from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (Georgetown University)
 * J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School
 * certificate in Islamic studies from the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (CMCU) at Georgetown University