Posted on 11/08/2001 5:41:01 PM PST by ABC123
The federal government says a company here in the US is sending money to Osama Bin Laden, and that company has an office right here in Nashville.
NewsChannel 5's Jennifer Kraus spent several hours at that office Thursday, and she found the man who runs it, is now being investigated by the state, and he is no where to be found.
Just one day after federal agents raided Al Barakaat offices in Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Columbus, ohio, the Nashville branch was mysteriously quiet.
According to the posted business hours, Salama International Incorporated was supposed to be open.
Customers seemed surprised it wasn't.
Al Barakaat wires money around the world.
A man who visited the office Thursday said he sends money to his family in Sudan. He pays Al Barakaat $6 for every $100 he sends.
But the US government claims Al Barakaat funnels some of that money to Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist group Al Qaida.
Mohammed Farah's been sending money to his family in Somalia through Al Barakaat for some time, and he doesn't believe the company or the man who runs the office, Abdirizak Hassan, would be involved in terrorist activity. "I never heard that. I don't think they do that. I don't think so."
But Hassan is nowhere to be found. His office looks like he left for a few minutes but never came back--the lights are on, personal belongings are left sitting on the desk.
State officials tell NewsChannel 5 Hassan recently applied for a license to run a money wire service. The only thing is he's already been running this business for some time without a license, and that's against the law. In fact it's a federal crime.
It's why federal agents arrested two men during their raid of the Al Barakaat office in Massachusetts. They too were operating without a license.
According to state records, Hassan runs two businesses in this nondescript storefront on Nolensville Road-the wire transfer office and the Mecca restaurant next door.
Workers at the restaurant said they don't know where Hassan is or what Al Barakaat was really up to.
Longtime customers said they can't remember any other time Hassan hasn't been here during regular business hours.
Supposedly the office was open Wednesday and Hassan was there.
Some customers NewsChannel 5 spoke with Thursday said they hope he shows up soon.
They said their families haven't received money they sent earlier this week, so they want answers.
The federal government has frozen the assets of Al Barakaat. The question now is did they freeze the money coming in and going out of Nashville.
All the state would say is it has been looking into Salama International and Mr. Hassan and now have expanded the investigation and are looking into the ties he and his company have with Al Barakaat.
It's also likely the federal government is now involved as well, but neither the US Attorneys office nor the Justice Department will comment on pending investigations.
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