Immigration suspect taped Texas landmarks

Police in Dallas, Houston and Austin are on increased alert after the arrest of a Pakistani man who had videos of buildings, transit systems and a dam in Central Texas.

But state officials said Tuesday there was "no known credible threat" of a terrorist plot in Texas following the July 20 arrest in Charlotte, N.C. of Karman Akhtar, 34, also known by the last name Shaikh.

Akhtar has drawn the attention of state and federal terrorism investigators but is being held in North Carolina only on federal charges of being in the country illegally.

According to officials and court documents, Akhtar had in his possession a videotape of mass transit lines in Dallas, Houston and in Atlanta, Ga., as well as a video of the Mansfield Dam near Austin.

He also possessed a video of buildings _ some of them financial institutions _ in Texas, and in Charlotte, New Orleans and in Atlanta.

"He said he was taking pictures for his brother," said Keith Bridges, spokesman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which was the first to take custody of Akhtar.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and state homeland security agents were notified about a week ago of Akhtar's arrest, said Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor.

Local, state and federal officials are continuing to monitor the investigation of Akhtar, and those in "statewide leadership" are being kept apprised, Black said.

He added, however, that "at this time, there is no known credible threat to the State of Texas.

AL-QAIDA Suspect Arrested in Texas

Al-Qaida Suspect Arrested in Texas Updated: Wednesday, Jul. 28, 2004 - 1:00 PM

By J.J. Green FederalNewsRadio.com

A South African woman picked up in Texas almost 10 days ago may turn out to be a key, high-level al-Qaida operative.

Her name is Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed. She was stopped at McAllen Miller International Airport on July 19 headed to New York.

Eddie Flores of the U.S. Border Patrol office in McAllen, Texas tells FederalNewsRadio.com that a review of her papers raised some concerns.

"In looking at her documents, they did not find any entry documents in her passport where she was legally admitted into the United States," says Flores.

Ahmed produced a South African passport to the agents with four pages torn out, and with no U.S. entry stamps. Ahmed reportedly later confessed to investigators that she entered the country illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River. Ahmed was carrying travel itineraries showing a July 8 flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to London. Six days later, Ahmed traveled from London to Mexico City before attempting to travel from McAllen to New York.

Government sources tell FederalNewsRadio.com that capturing this woman could be comparable to the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11. It was revealed in court Tuesday that she was on a watch list and had entered the U.S. possibly as many as 250 times.

Tuesday, the South African government issued a warning that Al-Qaida militants and other terrorists traveling through Europe had obtained South African passports, and authorities believe they got them from crime syndicates operating inside the government agency that issues the documents.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. A Pakistani citizen charged with federal immigration violations is being held in a Charlotte, North Carolina jail.

Federal officials say the man was seen videotaping Charlotte skyscrapers last month and was detained.

The North Carolina city is home to two of the nation's top five bank headquarters.

Authorities say they are investigating the man's claim that he was making videotapes for family members. They say he behaved suspiciously and his actions were "evasive."

Court documents show he was in the country illegally. He had applied for political asylum in 1992 and was denied in 1997.

Last week, federal officials issued urgent terror warnings, saying they had uncovered information in Pakistan indicating five financial institutions in New York, Washington and New Jersey were potential targets.

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