Posted on 09/16/2002 11:28:43 AM PDT by testforecho
Suspected Terrorist Arrested In Florida
Iqbal Munawar Arrested In Alleged Immigration Scheme
UPDATED: 3:25 p.m. EDT September 14, 2002
MIAMI -- Iqbal Munawar, who was on the FBI's list of suspected terrorists, was jailed as he tried to fly from Miami to Tampa, Fla., Friday morning.
Munawar and two other men have been charged with smuggling illegal aliens from the Middle East into the United States on airplanes through Miami International Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport.
The suspects are accused of making more than $100,000 in the smuggling operation, selling more than 1,000 false visas to illegal immigrants.
Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas talked to a local television station about Munawar's arrest.
"Quite frankly, with all due respect to what we've been seeing today, I think the arrest of the individual at Miami (Friday) from the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list is probably more significant than what happened in Collier County because that individual is a real suspect. We know he has links to terrorist activities and that arrest may have, in fact, avoided something worse from happening," Penelas said.
The 40-year-old Munawar has been living in Brandon, Fla., on the state's west coast. The FBI tracked Munawar as he entered the United States two nights ago through Miami International Airport.
Nathu Babu Dhamelia, allegedly the head of a five-member ring, has issued more than 1,500 Cuban visas to people trying to reach the United States, according to an anonymous tip, the affidavit saidThis indicates more than a Cuban connection to me--it looks like the PRC. While you could argue that the route is used for escaping Chinese, I would think it would be too dangerous for them to go through Cuba and the Panama Canal.The Customs Service in Miami intercepted a DHL package addressed to Dhamelia in New Delhi last month, Ryan's report said. The package contained 55 blank Cuban tourist visas and two blank Jamaican immigration cards
Kajamukam, 37, is a Canadian citizen born in Sri Lanka. He was arrested after flying Thursday from the Bahamas to Miami, after a U.S. immigration inspector in the Bahamas found several blank Canadian immigration forms for sponsoring the arrival of immigrants in the United States
The letter said Dhamelia and Kajamukam were involved in an attempt to smuggle 29 people by ship from Ecuador through Panama to the United States, Ryan's affidavit said.
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