|
| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 12/01/2006 8:45:06 PM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
New thread here. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747324/posts |
Posted on 11/01/2006 8:20:24 PM PST by nwctwx
|
You're welcome.
If there are any more updates; always appreciated.
THANK YOU for all the links, Oorang.
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah
===
===
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&q=%22Saleh+Elahwal%22&scoring=d
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=%22Saleh+Elahwal%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d
---
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014117.php
November 21, 2006
Manhattan: Second Man Charged in Terror Plan
An update to this story from the New York Times, with thanks to MB:
A New Jersey man has been charged with conspiring to help the terrorist group Hezbollah by allowing people to obtain satellite broadcasts of a Hezbollah television station, federal prosecutors said yesterday. The man, Saleh Elahwal, 53, of Matawan, N.J., was charged in an 11-count indictment unsealed yesterday in Federal District Court. The indictment also charged another man, Javed Iqbal of Staten Island, who was arrested in August. The indictment charges the men with helping people receive broadcasts of Al Manar, which features programming that promotes Hezbollah's positions, prosecutors said. Messages left for the men's lawyers were not returned yesterday. Mr. Iqbal's supporters have said he was exercising free speech.
Posted by Robert at November 21, 2006 01:17 PM
===
===
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=%22Javed+Iqbal%22&btnG=Search+News
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=%22Javed+Iqbal%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d
---
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/012863.php
August 25, 2006
New York man charged with relaying Hizballah TV
I don't know why Javed Iqbal felt he had to go to such lengths. Wasn't Reuters enough? "Man Charged With Relaying Hezbollah TV," from AP, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
NEW YORK (AP) - A businessman was charged with providing satellite broadcasts of a Hezbollah television station to New York-area customers, authorities said Thursday.
Javed Iqbal, 42, was arrested Wednesday on conspiracy charges of enabling the broadcasts of al Manar, which was designated by the U.S. government this spring as a global terrorist entity, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement.
Garcia said Iqbal used satellite dishes at his Staten Island home to distribute the broadcasts through a Brooklyn company called HDTV Limited.
Later on AP tells us that Hizballah is "sophisticated" (wearing white gloves as they launch terror attacks against civilians, I suppose) and sniffs at the U.S. designation of the group as a terrorist organization:
The U.S. government considers Hezbollah, Lebanon's most sophisticated Shiite group, to be a terrorist group.
Posted by Robert at August 25, 2006 06:53 AM
CANADA PING - BURQA MAN IS A ROBBER.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1730468/posts?page=1113#1113
Post no. 1113
Yet they insist the burka and veil are harmless. Infreakingcredible. It's like Halloween everyday in that sense (cover your face and eyes and no one will know who you are). Imagining in Iraq it must be a bit edgy for our troops when walking among these people!
Off Topic...
A Great Thanksgiving Recipes Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1742463/posts
---
A Thanksgiving Site:
http://www.truthusa.com/ThanksGIVING.html
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742475/posts
Rape case roils Saudi legal system (Saudi, ahem, Justice)
Yahoo ^
Posted on 11/21/2006 11:02:59 PM PST by Irishguy
AL-AWWAMIYA, Saudi Arabia - When the teenager went to the police a few months ago to report she was gang-raped by seven men, she never imagined the judge would punish her — and that she would be sentenced to more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received.
The story of the Girl of Qatif, as the alleged rape victim has been called by the media here, has triggered a rare debate about Saudi Arabia's legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers are present.
The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges. These include one in which a group of men got heavier sentences for harassing women than the men in the Girl of Qatif rape case or three men who were convicted of raping a boy. In another, a woman was ordered to divorce her husband against her will based on a demand by her relatives.
In the case of the Girl of Qatif, she was sentenced to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man to whom she was not married — a crime in this strictly segregated country — at the time that she was allegedly attacked and raped by a group of other men
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=GLOBALJIHAD
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Jihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=IRAN
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
http://www.memri.org/iran.html
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=148
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaeda
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaida
===
===
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742411/posts
http://www.nysun.com/article/43442
"Iranians Training Qaeda Terrorists to Attack Our GIs"
By CON COUGHLIN
The Daily Telegraph
November 14, 2006
ARTICLE SNIPPET (from page 4 of this article): "Any increase in Iran's influence over Al Qaeda could have potentially devastating consequences for international security. Al Qaeda has made no secret of its desire to acquire weapons of mass destruction — including "dirty" nuclear bombs.
Intelligence specialists believe that Iran will soon have the capacity to develop its own nuclear weapons and Tehran is also known to have developed a highly effective chemical weapons program.
"We are looking at a Doomsday scenario here where Al Qaeda finally fulfils its ultimate goal of acquiring weapons of mass destruction," a senior Western intelligence official said. "And unlike other terror groups, Al Qaeda is perfectly willing to use them.""
===
===
http://off-topic.internet-haganah.com/archives/000614.html
November 20, 2006
"'So we may be willing to do the strangest things.'"
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742491/posts
Iraq - Arab Oil Institute Head Assassinated In Baghdad-Official
Dow Jones Newswires (excerpt) ^ | November 22, 2006
Posted on 11/22/2006 12:38:04 AM PST by HAL9000
Excerpt -
Unknown gunmen assassinated the head of the Baghdad-based Arab Oil Institute, Izzidin al-Rawi, an Iraqi Sunni, an official with the institute told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.
The official said that Rawi was abducted by unknown gunmen Sunday morning while he was driving on his way from home to his office in the northern outskirts of Baghdad.
"His body was found in Baghdad mortuary Tuesday," he added.
Al-Rawi is head of the Arab Oil Institute, which was set up in Baghdad by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OAPEC, in 1978.
(MORE TO FOLLOW)
(Excerpt) Read more at nasdaq.com ...
ON THE NET...
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&client=news&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wn&q=danvers&scoring=d
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=danvers&ie=ISO-8859-1&scoring=d
===
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742484/posts
"Explosion in the Distance, Shook My Windows, (North of Salem, MA)"
My window | Wednesday, November 22, 2006 | Momaw Nadon
Posted on 11/21/2006 11:58:26 PM PST by Momaw Nadon
Something exploded in the distance, I can see fire in smoke.
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "...three Canadian passports..."
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "...three mobile phones."
===
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=RUSSIA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=CANADA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=spies
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=spy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=espionage
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=mobilephones
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=passports
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742503/posts
===
===
UPDATE...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6171306.stm
Last Updated: Wednesday, 22 November 2006, 07:15 GMT
"Canada detainee 'is Russian spy'"
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Canadian intelligence services say a man arrested trying to leave the country last week is a Russian spy with forged identity papers.
The man, who used the false name Paul William Hampel, will appear in court in Montreal on Wednesday with authorities calling for his deportation.
The intelligence agency said the man had spied on Canada for 10 years and worked for a successor to the KGB.
Court papers said he had obtained three Canadian passports by fraudulent means.
The man was arrested at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport on 14 November carrying a fake birth certificate, the documents said.
The Canadian authorities say that when they arrested the man he was carrying more than $5,000 in various currencies and three mobile phones.
'High-level espionage'"
RECAP...
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/061117kansascity.htm
Four Russian nationals, Polish national indicted for visa fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four Russian nationals and a Polish national, who were involved with a Branson, Mo., company that provides workers to area hotels, have been indicted by a federal grand jury today for submitting false statements to obtain foreign labor visas for hundreds of employees.
Today's indictments were announced by Bradley J. Schlozman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General.
Serguei Choukline, also known as Anton Kim, 48, and his wife, Irina Choukline, 44, both of whom were born in Russia and now reside in Springfield, Mo., Anna Bauer, 28, who was born in Russia and resides in Falls Church, Va., Irina Lemetyuynen, 38, who was born in Russia and resides in Springfield, and Angnieszka Koblenc, 31, who was born in Poland and resides in Springfield, were charged in a 17-count second superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006.
Serguei Choukline was a director and Irina Choukline was the secretary of Midwest Hotel Management Corp., 1316 W. Hwy. 76 in Branson, Mo. Bauer, Lemetyuynen and Koblenc were employees of Midwest.
The Chouklines, Lemetyuynen and Koblenc were arrested yesterday and had their initial appearance in federal court in Springfield. Bauer was arrested and appeared in federal court in Virginia. Lemetyuynen and Koblenc remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Dec. 1. Irina Choukline was released on a $25,000 bond and Serguei Choukline was continued on his earlier $50,000 bond. Bauer was also released on bond.
This second superseding indictment replaces an earlier indictment by adding Irina Choukline, Bauer, Lemetyuynen and Koblenc as co-defendants and omitting Monica A. Lopez, 25, a citizen of Mexico residing in the Branson area, who pleaded guilty the charge of aiding and abetting visa fraud that was contained in a Feb. 8, 2006, superseding indictment. Lopez was director of human resources for Midwest.
The federal indictment, Schlozman explained, involves the use of temporary worker visas. The temporary worker program is designed to allow foreign workers to provide labor for certain industries after it has been determined that there is a legitimate need for the work and that there are an insufficient number of citizens or other legal aliens to provide the labor.
Count One of the federal indictment alleges that each of the co-defendants participated in a conspiracy to make false statements and to commit mail fraud, visa fraud and alien inducement from May 1, 2002 to November 2006 in Branson and Springfield. Midwest allegedly submitted 15 foreign labor visa applications containing numerous false statements to obtain approximately 300 foreign labor visas, including visas for Lopez, Lemetyuynen and Koblenc. Through the use of a fraudulently obtained foreign labor workforce, the indictment says Midwest received approximately $1.5 million in ill-gotten gains.
The false statements contained in these visa applications, the indictment alleges, include naming fictitious corporate officers, providing fraudulent reference letters, manufacturing fraudulent employment interviews of U.S. citizens, improperly listing places of employment, and the unauthorized use of an address supplied by Midwest Hotel Management as their corporate office.
Serguei Choukline, using the alias Anton Kim, allegedly was the architect of the overall scheme who gathered, executed and submitted the bulk of the documents on behalf of Midwest. Irina Choukline allegedly provided, submitted, and purportedly translated fraudulent supporting documentation for visa applications submitted by Midwest on behalf of Lemetyuynen, Koblenc and others. She also had payroll responsibilities and paid the bills of Midwest. Bauer was the original “day to day” face of Midwest with regard to the recruiting, placement and transportation of seasonal workers, the indictment says, and also had payroll responsibilities.
Count Two of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen, aiding and abetting each other, made false statements to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services concerning Lemetyuynen's residence and employment status on Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, on Oct. 4, 2002.
Count Three of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen aided and abetted each other to commit mail fraud on Oct. 4, 2002 by having a fraudulently obtained visa delivered to Lemetyuynen's employer by U.S. mail.
Count Four of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen aided and abetted each other to commit visa fraud on Oct. 4, 2002 by causing an I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker to be filed for Lemetyuynen with a visa subsequently received by means of false representations.
Count Five of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen aided and abetted each other in making false statements on Aug. 23, 2004 to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services concerning a visa application for Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker and Permanent Resident Status in the United States.
Count Six of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen aided and abetted each other to commit mail fraud on Aug. 23, 2004 by having a fraudulently obtained visa delivered by U.S. mail.
Count Seven of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Lemetyuynen aided and abetted each other to commit visa fraud on Aug. 31, 2005 by causing an I-140 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, I-485 Application to Register Permanent Resident or Adjust Status, and G-325 Biographical Sheet to be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Count Eight of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc, aiding and abetting each other, made false statements to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services concerning Koblenc's residence and employment status on Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, on May 20, 2004.
Count Nine of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc aided and abetted each other to commit mail fraud on May 20, 2004 by having a fraudulently obtained visa delivered to Koblenc's employer by U.S. mail.
Count Ten of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc aided and abetted each other to commit visa fraud on May 20, 2004 by causing an I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker to be filed for Koblenc with a visa subsequently received by means of false representations.
Count Eleven of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc aided and abetted each other in making false statements on March 30, 2005 to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services concerning a visa application for Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker and Permanent Resident Status in the United States.
Count Twelve of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc aided and abetted each other to commit mail fraud on March 30, 2005 by having a fraudulently obtained visa delivered by U.S. mail.
Count Thirteen of the federal indictment alleges that the Chouklines and Koblenc aided and abetted each other to commit visa fraud on March 30, 2005 by causing an I-140 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, I-485 Application to Register Permanent Resident or Adjust Status, and G-325 Biographical Sheet to be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Counts Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen of the federal indictment allege that, on three separate instances between Oct. 2, 2002, and Feb. 10, 2005, Serguei Choukline induced an illegal alien to enter and reside in the United States.
Count Seventeen of the federal indictment is a forfeiture count, which would require the Chouklines to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the alleged offenses, including residential property located at 3634 W. Suzanne Place in Springfield, Mo.
Schlozman cautioned that the charges contained in the indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes, Western District of Missouri.
-- ICE --
SMYRNA
6 Men
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1742505/posts
Six men arrested were in U.S. illegally
Marietta Daily Journal ^ | November 22, 2006 | Amanda Casciaro
Posted on 11/22/2006 2:30:59 AM PST by ethics
MARIETTA - Cobb police have arrested six Hispanic men for manufacturing identification documents at Twelve Oaks Apartments on Austell Road in an undercover sting that authorities expect will lead to more arrests.
Because the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are pending, police did not release information about the Oct. 25 arrests until Tuesday.
Agents from the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime and Intelligence Unit executed a search warrant for an apartment at 8 p.m. Oct. 25 and walked in on a "large operation," Cobb Police Department spokesman Officer Wayne Delk said.
Officers seized about 1,300 photographs, 217 completed identification cards, various card printers, computers, scanners, laminators and other items used to manufacture fraudulent documents, Delk said.
All of the men arrested were found to have been in the country illegally.
(Excerpt) Read more at mdjonline.com ...
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/061117detroit.htm
November 17, 2006
Zig-Zag money-laundering defendant ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution
DETROIT - A Sierra Leone man has been ordered to pay more than $5.6 million in restitution as part of his sentence for his role in a multi-million dollar money-laundering organization that illegally produced counterfeit Zig-Zag brand cigarette paper in Jakarta, Indonesia. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigations Division (IRS-CID).
Jihad Makki, 44, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. In addition to the restitution, Makki was sentenced to three years' probation with a special condition that he will participate in a home confinement program for a period of six months.
The ICE investigation revealed that in early 2000, Makki and other co-conspirators began counterfeiting the cigarette paper in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to court records, Makki actively participated in the criminal organization from about March 2000 until late January 2001 by conducting and receiving wire money transfers in the amount of approximately $19,216. Ultimately, the organization was responsible for importing counterfeit paper worth an estimated $16 million into the United States from May 2000 to February 2004. Additional evidence indicated that the organization laundered approximately $1million to facilitate this organized criminal enterprise between March 2000 and February 2002.
The counterfeit products were sold in the United States at prices well below those of the registered Zig-Zag brand item. The lead conspirators used several front business names to introduce the counterfeit Zig-Zag products into U.S. commerce. The markings on the products were indistinguishable from the genuine product or registered goods. The funds generated by the counterfeiting scheme were spent by organization members or seized through civil proceedings by the North Atlantic Trading Co., trademark holder for Zig-Zag cigarette papers in the United States.
"The interdiction of counterfeit trademark goods protects the integrity of the market and prevents wrongdoers from profiting from the hard work of others," said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy. "We are pleased that the sentences in this case match the seriousness of the crime."
"Intellectual property rights crimes such as counterfeiting are not victimless. They should concern every American," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. "This type of criminal activity costs U.S. industries nearly $250 billion in losses each year. Even more disturbing is that the illicit proceeds generated from these crimes facilitate organized crime. This specific case would not have been successful without the excellent work and collaboration of IRS's Criminal Investigation Division here in Detroit."
Maurice Aouate, special agent in charge of the IRS' Criminal Investigations Division in Detroit stated, "Money laundering is a very complex crime involving an enormous amount of financial transactions and financial outlets throughout the world. IRS-CID is committed to identifying and tracing criminal proceeds, even if it leads overseas, in order to disrupt and dismantle this type of illegal counterfeit operation."
With yesterday's sentencing, seven people have now pleaded guilty and been sentenced in connection with this counterfeiting scheme:
March 14: Tarek Makki, 41, and Adham Mackie, 37, both from Sierra Leone, were sentenced to 24 months in prison and 36 months supervised release after pleading guilty to money laundering, trafficking in counterfeit goods, conspiracy, making false statements, and perjury. Adham Mackie also received a judicial order of deportation from the United States. The pair was also ordered to pay $879,056 jointly in restitution to the victim.
Feb. 2: Ali Mackie, 27, a low-level participant, was sentenced to six months home confinement, two years probation, and $10,000 restitution, after pleading guilty to money laundering, perjury, and conspiracy. Additionally, Mackie was ordered to pay $10,190 in restitution to the victim.
June 6: Kamal Turfah, 30, was sentenced to three years probation with a special condition that he will participate in a home confinement program for six months, a $10,000 fine, and $87,301 restitution to the victim. Previously, Turfah pleaded guilty to structuring monetary transactions.
Nov. 1, 2005: Anand Nanwani, 27, and Jaipal Singh, 29, were each sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for money laundering and conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods. Both men are citizens of Indonesia and agreed to deportation upon completion of their prison sentences. Additionally, they were both ordered to pay $879,056 jointly in restitution to the victim.
-- ICE --
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=humanbombs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=humanbomb
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=homicidebombers
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=homicidebomber
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=suicidebombers
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=suicidebomber
HOT AIR.com - HOT AIR TV: "SUICIDE KILLERS" (November 21, 2006)
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/21/suicide-killers/
---
http://www.pierrerehov.com/
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/061120sanfrancisco.htm
November 20, 2006
Phony Nobel Prize nominee linked to leader of controversial Pakistani political group deported
SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that a Bay Area Pakistani national who posed as a Nobel Prize nominee to gain a “green card” and had ties to a Pakistani political organization has been deported.
ICE officials say Shehrezad Faruk Czar, 38, arrived in Pakistan Saturday on board a commercial flight. Czar’s removal comes after he pleaded guilty in federal court in September to making fraudulent statements in order to obtain legal permanent residence in the United States. Specifically, Czar admitted falsely claiming that he graduated as a medical doctor from Dow Medical College in 1987. As part of his guilty plea, Czar also agreed to a stipulated order of removal to Pakistan and waived his right to a hearing before an immigration judge.
Czar immigrated to the United States five years ago after receiving an employment-based visa as an alien of “extraordinary ability.” In his visa application, Czar claimed he had been nominated for a Nobel Prize for “outstanding research in applied economics, quantum physics and mathematical sciences,” and had received doctoral degrees of “Quantum Economics” and “Econo-Physics” from the “University of Berkley.”
“Let’s be clear – those who use fake documents and fraudulent information to obtain visas and gain immigration benefits are stealing a precious gift from the American people,” said San Francisco ICE Chief Counsel Ronald E. Le Fevre. “Beyond that, visa fraud poses a serious threat not only to the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system, but also to the security of our country.”
Czar was indicted in April after an investigation by ICE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that the information the Fremont man provided in support of his visa application, including several forged letters, was false.
The probe also revealed that Czar had contact with Altaf Hussain, the leader of a Pakistani political group known as the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) that has been linked to several acts of violence. Hussain is in exile in England, after being convicted in Pakistan in absentia for helping organize the kidnapping and murder of four Americans and their Pakistani driver in 1997.
Czar admitted contacting the MQM and its leadership, but claimed that he did so to obtain a banking license in Pakistan. The government found that questionable, given Hussain’s status as an exile and a fugitive. While records show Czar had received public assistance from Alameda County since April 2003, the investigation determined that the Fremont man received a overseas cash transfer of nearly $10,000 into a bank account late last year.
The MQM originated as an ethnic student rights group in the late 1970s. Hussain founded the party to protect the rights of Urdu-speaking Muslims whose descendants came from India to Pakistan after the partition of 1947.
-- ICE --
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/061120toledo.htm
November 20, 2006
Ohio doctor sentenced for money laundering and illegally transferring funds to Iran
Used "Hawala" scheme and foreign bank accounts to illegally move funds to Iran
TOLEDO, Ohio - A local doctor was sentenced here today to 60 days confinement and $1.15 million in fines and forfeiture for money laundering, illegally transferring funds to Iran, and tax evasion.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Gregory A. White, Northern District of Ohio; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Moskowitz; and Vincent C. Williams, special agent in charge for the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigative Division (IRS-CI) in Cleveland.
Mohammad Anvari-Hamedani, 72, of Fostoria, Ohio, pleaded guilty in April 2006 to 36 of 38 counts of money laundering, illegally transferring funds to Iran, and tax evasion. Anvari-Hamedani was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James G. Carr to a $500,000 fine, a $650,000 forfeiture to ICE, 60 days community confinement, three years probation, and 500 hours of community service.
The sentencing guidelines for the above offenses are normally 37 to 46 months incarceration. In this case, Judge Carr departed from the sentencing guidelines due to Anvari-Hamedani's advanced age and medical condition.
The investigation by ICE and IRS agents began in April 2002 when a search warrant was executed at Anvari-Hamedani's residence. The warrant was based on probable cause involving the violation of the U.S. embargo on Iran. The search warrant revealed voluminous amounts of documentary evidence in English and Farsi indicating Anvari-Hamedani as a strong supporter of the Iranian fundamentalist regime and the late Ayatollah-Khomeini.
The investigation traced a total of $4 million that was invested in Iran in violation of the embargo. The methods used to transfer the money to Iran were worldwide in scope, using bank accounts located in the United States, Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Singapore.
Uncovered during the investigation was the use of a “Hawala” scheme to transfer $169,000 to Iran.“Hawalas” are a form of money-transmitting business, common in many Middle Eastern and African countries, through which funds can be transferred between parties based on ties of kinship and individual trust. There is not an immediate physical or electronic transfer of funds. Money changers, aka “hawaladars,” physically receive cash or funds in one country. Corresponding hawaladars in another country dispense an identical amount (minus any fees or commissions) to a recipient or a designated recipient bank account. These arrangements could be exploited by terrorist groups or other criminal organizations to transfer large sums of money across international borders undetected.
The Hawala scheme was employed after financial institutions became suspicious of large international money transfers to the UAE.
“This is a serious violation of U.S. export laws,” said Brain M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Michigan and Ohio. “Those who ignore American economic sanctions against countries such as Iran will be prosecuted. ICE will continue to use its expertise and authority to 'follow the money' whether it is here in the United States or around the world - as we work with our partners to bring these individuals to justice.”
IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Williams stated, “When an individual launders money, conceals their ownership in foreign bank accounts from the IRS, and does not report over $750,000 in interest income generated by those hidden accounts, it becomes easy to see why IRS-CI calls money laundering tax evasion in progress. IRS-CI has the financial investigators and expertise that are critical to locating the money and prosecuting individuals that commit financial crimes both in this country and abroad. We are proud to be part of the team that brought this to justice.”
U.S. Attorney White stated, “This extremely important prosecution is another excellent example of the results that can occur when individual agencies work hand-in-hand to investigate and prosecute significant violations of federal laws.”
http://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=58969
"Bangladesh Demonstrations Continue"
Safety and Security
South / Central Asia - Bangladesh
21 Nov 2006
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
===
===
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06110096.htm
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Church attacked in Pakistan
Worship songs mocked, drunk Muslim boys harass girls attending
By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan
LAHORE, MANGA MANDI, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- A Church of the Nazarene in Talib Sarai in district Manga Mandi some 45 kilometers from the eastern city of Lahore was pelted with stones and bricks by Muslim residents of the area on November 12 hours after Sunday evening mass was disrupted in the Church as some eight Muslim boys who were allegedly drunk began singing a chorus of derogatory words in tune with worship songs being sung by the congregation, ANS has learnt.
The disruption by the allegedly drunk party forced the congregation to assemble in front of the Church gate.
Tension mounted when the Muslim boys entered the Church and tried to harass some of Christian girls attending a service. Late in the night bricks and stones were hurled at the church by Muslim residents of the area when efforts aimed at brokering compromise between the Christian and Muslim residents were underway.
According to a Jubilee Campaign, USA news release sent to ANS Pakistan based Centre for Legal Aid and Assistance (CLAAS) learnt about the incident on November 13 and its team did the fact-finding.
“Every week we make two men stand at the church gate to assist those who come to attend the worship service. On the day of the occurrence, Haroon Masih and Ashraf Masih were standing at the gate. It was at about 6:00pm and when 8 Muslim boys, Asif and Zulifiqar and six others, in a drunken stupor, approached the church gate”, the news release quoted Pastor of the Church, Rafeeq Masih as saying.
“They began uttering filthy words in tune with the worship songs being sung by the congregation. Haroon and Ashraf came forward to stop the boys from making fun of the church singing”
“Simultaneously, a few girls were harassed by the drunk boys as they entered the church. Haroon and Ashraf intervened to protect the girls, which further provoked Asif, Zulifiqar and their friends”
“Several church members came to the gate, and the Muslim boys quickly left. When the worship meeting came to an end, Asif and Zulifiqar returned with more friends whom they had called from the Chiragh Factory where they worked. They all were drunk, and equipped with firearms and clubs”, it maintained.
The news release said Asif’s mother Walayat who is allegedly notorious woman also from among Muslims who disrupted the Church service and attacked it later.
“She has been known to hurl insults at the Christians and in the past she attempted to rally the villagers to attack the church”, the news release quoted a Church member as saying.
Pastor Rafiq Masih called the naib-Nazim Khalid Javed to help them with this problem. He also called fathers of Asif and Zulifiqar, and asked them to come to his house, said the news release.
“As the meeting for compromise was going on, the pastor was informed that Asif, Zulifiqar and their accomplices had attacked the church with bricks and stones”.
As the news of attack on the Church reached Naib Nazim he according to the news release gave up efforts aimed at reconciliation and called the Police.
“A patrolling police squad reached the church immediately and the assailants fled the scene”, said the news release.
The news release further said that despite Christian residents of the area told the Police that Wallayat bibi was the mother of the main culprits they did not arrest her and instead arrested three Christian young boys.
“The police squad took those arrested children to the house of naib-Nazim and later released them. Since the incident there have been no talks between the aggrieved church members and the attackers”, it alleged.
CLAAS submitted application with duty officer, Allah Data at the Manga Mandi Police station. According the news release the duty officer said the Police First Information Report (FIR) could not be lodged as Station House Officer (SHO) was not present.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Pakistan.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
