| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| Terror informant had led a model life |
| 2004-08-14 |
| Three days into 2002, Shahed Hussain was a mini-mart entrepreneur on the crest of realizing the American dream. The 48-year-old Pakistani immigrant was about two weeks away from being sworn in as a naturalized U.S. citizen. He ran gas stations, a beverage center and a retail distribution business, and shared a modest home in Loudonville, N.Y., with his wife and children. But Hussain made a major mistake: He participated in a scam to get illegal driver's licenses for other immigrants who couldn't get them on their own. He was arrested, and on Jan. 23, 2002, a grand jury in Albany indicted him on one felony count of engaging in the production and transfer of false government identification documents. His subsequent guilty plea seemed to dash his hopes of remaining in the United States. But like others who face prison or deportation, Hussain was offered a way out. He went to work as a government informant. Following the arrest of a spiritual leader and member of a local mosque on charges related to aiding terrorism, Hussain's undercover work ended with a flourish of national attention. Court papers identify Hussain only as a confidential informant, and the FBI initially asked the Times Union not to publish his name, saying he would be endangered. He is now in protective custody, and his identity has become widely known in Albany. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 There must be something in the genetic makeup of most Pakistanis that make them deal in fake IDs. Or it's a cultural thing. We must not be judgemental, no matter what. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-08-14 8:29:03 PM |
| #1 He participated in a scam to get illegal driver's licenses for other immigrants who couldn't get them on their own. Yep. Just doing his part for "the community". |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-08-14 5:05:57 PM |