Do a Google on that guy's name. BIZARRE. .
Appearantly he is an expert on banking, and finance (if it's the same guy). That must come in handy for a money laundering operation.
Posted on 06/27/2002 3:53:38 PM PDT by all4one
Al-Qaeda Threat in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia, PA June 27, 2002 — David Henry reports from the Action Newsroom.
An Action News investigation reveals that a chain of jewelry stores operating in the Delaware Valley is being investigated by the FBI for possible connections to the Al Qaeda terror network.
A series of raids were carried out yesterday in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania.
The stores are mostly kiosks in shopping malls operating under the name "Intrigue Jewelers." They are all owned by Pakistanis under franchise agreements with a company called Gold Concepts, based in Pennsacola, Florida.
Intrigue operates stores at malls in Philadelphia, Plymouth Meeting, Harrisburg, and Monroeville. Until recently, they also had a kiosk at the Lehigh Valley Mall near Allentown. Owners and employees of the Intrigue shops at the Gallery in Center City and at the Plymouth Meeting Mall were questioned yesterday by agents from the FBI and INS. An employee at the shops in the Monroeville Mall tells us he was detained for hours yesterday.
Tariq Hussain says his home was searched and his computer was taken. He says the FBI accused him of funneling money to Ossama bin Laden's terror network. He says they questioned him about a photo he took two years ago of the NASDAQ building in New York, but he doesn't know how they knew about the photo.
The man in the photos taken at the World Trade Center just days before the attacks also worked at the Intrigue Jewelry store at the Lehigh Valley Mall. Two days before the attacks Ashar Iqbal Butt came to a photo shop in the mall looking for the pictures. The clerk says Butt seemed anxious to get them.
He was picked up on September 12th and was later charged with entering the country on a false passport just a month before the attacks.
Action News has confirmed that yesterday's sweep is part of a nationwide investigation involving at least 60 jewelry outlets. The justice department confirms that a number of people have been detained for questioning, but no charges have been filed yet.
Geezzz this is getting interesting
This airline is owned and operated out of Floriduh!
Appearantly he is an expert on banking, and finance (if it's the same guy). That must come in handy for a money laundering operation.
Make that Islamic banking and finance. I couldn't find anything specific that would indicate they are one and the same. At the very least, it's an interesting coincidence!
This is exactly what I was thinking when I first heard of this. These little jewelry places are in malls all over the country, and most are ran by Middle eastern types!
That said, it seems that Iqbal is a popular name in the Pakistani jewelry business.
Munawar Iqbal, (I doubt it's the Islamic economist) also incorporated at least three extant corporations in Texas, at 12703 Veterans Memorial Drive, Ste 105, Houston.
The corporation names: Sana Business Corporation, Faisal Corporation and Hamra Business Inc.
There are numerous other Iqbal's listed as registered agents for various corporate entitities in Texas, the most interesting of which is Goldman of Louisville, Inc., using the fictitious name of Intrigue Jewelers, Inc. This was registered to Shahid Iqbal, 7400 North Star Mall, San Antonio in August 1999, and forfeited existence in March 2002.
So it appears the Iqbals are involved in both Gold Concept and Intrigue.
62 Texas corporations have been registered by persons with the last name of Iqbal.
Arif Rajan has an existent corporation, Gold Concept, Inc. (filed in Florida as Gold Concept, Inc. of Texas) registered in Texas in August 1993. Rajan's mailing address is listed as 3601 N. Bicentennial #88, McAllen, Texas, and the physical address of the corporation is listed as 7041 Grand National Drive, Orlando. (Interesting, since Gold Concept was listed as a "Foreign Corporation" in the State of Florida, at that address, and as a "Domestic Business" in Texas, using the Florida address.) Gulzar Rajan is listed as both President and Director.
Gold Concept, Inc. also went into tax forfeiture in August 1995, but was re-instated in July 1996.
Arif Rajan
was also the registered agent for two other extant Texas corporations: Houston Oncor Enterprises Inc. (July 1993 to August 1995), Oro Valle, Inc. (October 1991 to August 1996).
19 entities registered with the Florida Dept of Corporations are currently using the fictitious names of Intrigue, Intrigue Jewelers, Intrigue Jewelry, and Intrigue Fine Jewelers. All are registered to individuals and/or officers with Pakistani names.
The only currently active corporation registered to Munawar Iqbal is Unique Imports of Tampa, Inc., and Iqbal is listed at a Brandon, FL address. Munawar is also registered to use the fictitious name Intrigue Jewelers at the West Oaks Mall in Ocoee, FL
Corporations using Intrigue as a fictitious name in Florida include Akram & Sons Enterprises, Golden Hues, IFZ Enterprises, MAF Management, Meher Jewelers, Naheed Enterprises of Minnesota, New Concepts of Jewelry, 1478847 Ontario Inc., Qazi, Inc., Royal Concept of Jewelry, Sam's Golf & Diamond of Chamblee, Georgia, S3B Enterprises and Verizon Jewelry.
Qazi, Inc. is the only Pensacola corporation using the Intrigue name, and I can't find any links between Qazi and Gold Concept(s).
I have a feeling that corporate record searches of other states will turn up the same types of info -- I guess you could say this is a huge web of "Intrigue."
antidisestablishment what an incredible find this was. This is reality of 9/11, pre 9/11 and post 9/11 staring us right in the face from the "Intrigue Mess"!
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