ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- A metro Atlanta man, granted bond with four other people after they were charged with 11 counts of child abuse during a raid on a New Mexico compound, won't be getting out of jail after all.
Although Subhanah Wahhaj, Hujrah Wahhaj and Jany Leveille along with metro Atlanta residents Lucas Morten and Siraj Ibn Wahhaj were each granted $20,000 signature bond following a four-hour hearing on Monday, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj will be held because he is also wanted on a Georgia warrant which alleges he abducted his then-3-year-old son from Jonesboro last December.
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The boy was not among 11 children freed during the raid, but authorities said the remains of a child were discovered at the New Mexico compound. Statements given to police in New Mexico indicate the boy, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, died during a ritual there last February. Officials have yet to confirm that the remains are those of the missing Clayton County boy, however.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutors presented evidence which said the children were taught how to load and fire assault weapons at the compound. Officials presented additional evidence which included manuals on how to build untraceable weapons.
Various weapons and types of ammunition were found at the compound during the August 3 raid. They also said at least one of the children was armed at the time of that raid. Since the raid, the 11 children found there, ranging in age from 1 to 15, have been placed in state custody.
According to testimony from an FBI who interviewed two of the 11 children, rituals were performed on the 3-year-old which began in Georgia to allegedly expel demons from Abdul.
One of the children reportedly told the FBI agent that the boy's heart stopped beating during one of these rituals in February, and that his body was later buried at the compound.
According to Albuquerque TV station KOB-TV, defense attorneys insisted that the state's case was racially and religiously biased against their clients, saying that if the suspects were white, Christian and had guns, "we might not be here today."
Photos: New Mexico suspects appear for bond hearing
New Mexico State District Court Judge Sarah Backus was not swayed by the evidence presented by the prosecution during the hearing and allowed the defendants to be released of jail on a $20,000 signature bond and said they would have to wear ankle monitors. She also says any visits with children by any of the defendants would have to be supervised.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj would not be eligible to be released, however, due to his Georgia charges.
