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Home Front
Alamoudi Pleads Innocent
2003-10-29
A prominent U.S. Muslim activist accused of involvement with groups that finance terrorists pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges of trying to funnel Libyan money into the United States illegally. The judge in the case refused to release Abdurahman M. Alamoudi and set trial for Feb. 16. "There is a risk and danger of flight," said U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton, citing Alamoudi’s multiple passports frequent travel and connections to terrorists family and friends in the Middle East. Alamoudi, a founder of the American Muslim Council and related American Muslim Foundation, is accused of engaging in illegal financial transactions with Libya, most notably once in August when he received a briefcase containing $340,000 in cash from the Libyan-controlled Islamic Call Society.
"Hello, operator? I'd like to make an Islamic call!"
The 18-count indictment alleged that Alamoudi hoped to launder funnel that money through Saudi Arabia to the United States and evade currency reporting requirements. Alamoudi, 51, who has remained jailed without bond, also is charged with money laundering, misuse of a passport, failure to report foreign bank accounts and making false statements in his application to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.
That’ll do for a start.
A federal affidavit contends that Alamoudi also was involved in numerous groups with financial links to the Hamas and al-Qaida terrorist organizations - including one founded by a relative of Osama bin Laden. The affidavit, filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Brett Gentrup, suggests that Alamoudi was a key player in a complex web of organizations that appeared to be raising money for Muslim charities but actually funded terrorist groups.
There’s a difference?
"These layered transactions were designed to both disguise the true origin and end destination of the funds and render it exceedingly difficult and confusing for any prospective investigation by law enforcement authorities," Gentrup says in the affidavit. One such organization, the Happy Hearts Trust, allegedly transferred tens of thousands of dollars to two organizations long suspected of helping fund Hamas’s attacks against Israel. One of these, the West Bank-based Humanitarian Relief Organization, has been closed in the past by Israel on suspicion of providing money to militants. The other, Jordan-based Humanitarian Appeal International, has been tied by the FBI to both Hamas and the Holy Land Relief Foundation for Relief and Development - which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States. Officials said they found seven U.S.-designated terrorist groups among the names and numbers in al-Amoudi’s confiscated Palm Pilot.
Had them on his speed dialer, did he?
The government also found an unsigned document in Arabic during a search of al-Amoudi’s office in Virginia that makes numerous references to Hamas and discusses "execution of operations against the Israelis to delay the peace process," authorities said.
Haven’t these guys ever heard of a shredder?
Posted by:Steve

#1  there were jahidists cheering for Alamoudi at the courthouse

anybody want to guess what happens when there are more muslims in the jury pool
Posted by: mhw   2003-10-29 3:56:12 PM  

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