[Diddle E. Squat]

Here in DFW there are Intrigue Jewelry stores in Irving Mall and Fort Worth's Northeast Mall. FWIW. If they are open tomorrow, than there may not be a connection. But at first glance it would seem possible that this could be a front chain(pardon the pun).

[TexKat]

Feds sweep malls for terror funding links
June 27, 2002 Posted: 9:32 PM EDT (0132 GMT)






WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal agents conducted sweeps of shopping malls around the country this week and questioned more than 60 people in a search for possible sources for terrorism funding, officials said Thursday.

The joint investigation by the FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service apparently targeted Pakistanis operating or working at jewelry kiosks in malls.

Among the things investigators were looking for was whether money was being sent back to Pakistan to fund terror operations, officials said.

No evidence was found to support the allegation and no criminal charges were filed, they said, although the INS placed some of the people in custody for immigration violations.

The sweep -- which began Wednesday -- took place in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Dallas and other cities, including at least one in Connecticut, authorities told CNN.

Tariq Hussain, a Pakistani native who works at his brother's jewelry kiosk at the Mall at Robinson in Pittsburgh, told CNN affiliate WTAE that FBI and INS agents questioned him about Osama bin Laden.

"They asked me, 'Do you know him? Do you know anybody who knows him or is linked to him?'" Hussain said.

"They were trying to say that 'we'll put you in jail if you're linked to Osama.' I said, 'Go do what you got to do, because if I'm straight, I'm straight.'"

Hussain said the agents searched his apartment and asked him about photographs he took in New York.

"While we were in Times Square, I took pictures in Times Square, NASDAQ building or something," said Hussain. "They said, 'Why you took that picture? You planning to attack there or something?'"