NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A long-running feud over property in Pakistan led a man to call a New Jersey police department and falsely accuse a relative of being an al-Qaida member plotting to blow up the "British Embassy" in Toronto, the FBI said.
Bukhtiar Abdul Latif Katchi, 34, of Los Angeles, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at his home and charged with making a false bomb threat. The relative, who was not identified, lived in Plainfield, N.J., and the two had been quarrelling over a piece of land in Pakistan, said Steven Siegel, an FBI special agent in the Newark office.
Katchi faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He was being held without bail pending a hearing Thursday. He has agreed to go to New Jersey to face the charge, said U.S. attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek.
Katchi had made previous false accusations linking the relative to terrorism "but none had risen to this level of federal involvement," Siegel said.
The relative was thoroughly investigated and cleared of any terrorist links, Siegel said.
"The vast majority of investigations like this are poison-pen cases, anonymous calls or letters saying: 'Mister X is going to blow something up.' Unfortunately, in this day and age, they know we have to follow up every lead, no matter how preposterous it might sound," Siegel said.
The investigation wasted the time of numerous law-enforcement agents since the call was received last week.
"You had guys working 24-7 on this," Siegel said.
Pedro Ruiz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark office, said the case should serve as an example to others.
"When someone acts so irresponsibly that they would make a false alarm of this magnitude, their actions put the general public at risk. Those actions will not go unpunished," Ruiz said.
Katchi was accused of making an anonymous telephone call to the North Plainfield Police Department on May 8 from a pay phone in California. During the call, he told a dispatcher an individual who was a member of al-Qaida living in New Jersey was planning to bomb the "British Embassy" in Toronto, court documents said. Britain has a consulate in Toronto but does not have an embassy there.
After an investigation by the FBI's Newark and Los Angeles offices that included agents from the terrorism task force interviewing Katchi's relative at his home, agents then questioned Katchi.
He admitted placing the call to North Plainfield police and falsely accusing his relative, adding he came up with the idea after watching news coverage of a small explosion outside the British Consulate in New York City on May 5, the same day as Britain's national election, court documents said.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/WarOnTerrorism/2005/05/17/1044282-ap.html
Some posters here may be interested in this:
Articles released to promote awareness of Islamic extremist threats in U.S.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1405319/posts
The United American Committee released it's newsletter today with articles by Robert Spencer, and other experts on Islamic terrorism in America. The U.A.C. Press is looking for contributors who may be interested in submitting articles for future issues. The newsletter can be found at http://www.unitedamericancommittee.org/uac_press_may_05.pdf Please forward this newsletter to all FReepers and fellow concerned citizens of America.