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| al-Amoudi arrested for concealing Libyan trip |
| 2003-09-29 |
| A Muslim man, with ties to a group that evaluates Muslim military candidates, appeared in court Monday after allegedly failing to tell U.S. customs agents he had traveled to Libya. Agents from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI took Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi into custody at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia on Sunday as he returned to the United States. A federal magistrate in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., ordered Al-Amoudi to be held without bail pending a Tuesday detention hearing. First you pick him up on a easy charge, something you can hold him for a while, then..... Lawyers representing him said they did not have a comment on the case since they had just been handed the complaint, but did say their client was surprised he was arrested. "Lies, all lies, er, what was that charge again?" A government source said Monday that al-Amoudi flew to Washington from London and upon entry to the U.S. did not reveal to customs agents that he had traveled to Libya. Gee, now why would he be in Libya? Visting old friends? But several officials familiar with al-Amoudi’s case say the investigation goes well beyond anything relating to his travel. We hope so. Al-Amoudi has been under investigation for some time as part of a broad probe into Muslim charities and groups mostly in the northern Virginia area, officials have said. Investigators have been looking into whether these groups’ funds may have ended up in the coffers of terrorist organizations. Just like Al Capone, it’s the accountants that’ll get ya. Offices of several of the groups were searched in March 2002. Officials from many of these groups have denied those charges and say no arrests have been made stemming from those searches. Guess they spoke too soon. Michael Mason, the head of the FBI field office in Washington, characterized the arrest as an important one, and said al-Amoudi was arrested without a warrant but with probable cause. "I can say no more" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 He's Billy Carter in disquise. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-29 7:47:35 PM |
| #3 ..."But Comra, er, I mean Col. Khadafy sends his greetings! Honest!"... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-29 5:15:48 PM |
| #2 How does one repeatedly enter/exit Libya without getting your passport stamped, hmmmm? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-29 5:13:44 PM |
| #1 more: A criminal complaint unsealed Monday alleges Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi violated U.S. law by accepting, either personally or through the American Muslim Foundation he heads, $10,700 from the Libyan mission to the United Nations and by failing to disclose numerous trips to Libya on his passport. Such actions are illegal under U.S. economic sanctions imposed in 1986 following terrorist bombings tied to Libya in Vienna and Rome. In August 2003, the affidavit said, customs officials in Great Britain found $340,000 in sequentially numbered $100 bills in al-Amoudi's luggage. Al-Amoudi, who was not charged, told the officials that he received the money from an unknown individual at a London hotel after visiting the Libyan Islamic Call Society based in Tripoli. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-29 5:00:37 PM |