Today: September 14, 2002 at 6:20:03 PDT
LACKAWANNA, N.Y.- The mayor of the city where five men were arrested for allegedly operating a terrorist cell said the FBI told him six months ago it was investigating a national security matter in the area.
U.S. officials in Washington, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the Justice Department planned to charge the men, all of Yemeni descent, with providing material support and resources to terrorists.
The five were arrested Friday night after federal agents raided several houses and an Arab social club. Agents were seen taking two boxes and a blue cooler from an apartment above an Arabian foods deli.
The men were held at a federal detention center and were to be arraigned Saturday in Buffalo.
"When you first hear about it, you do get that initial shiver," said Lackawanna Mayor John Kuryak. "You almost tell yourself, 'Not in your back yard. Not in my community.' But that was for a split second. ... No one can be that naive or take anything for granted these days since 9-11."
Lackawanna Police Capt. Ronald Miller confirmed there were arrests, but would only say those arrested were American citizens.
FBI spokesman Paul Moskal wouldn't disclose the men's identities, but some relatives of the men spoke about the arrests.
Albaneh Mosed said FBI agents burst into his home and arrested his 24-year-old brother, Shafal Mosed. He denied his brother had any links to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
"If he was a terrorist I'd be the first to know," Albaneh Mosed said. Mosed said his brother, who is married with a 3-year-old child, attended community college and recently got a job as a telemarketer.
"He's a peaceful person. The whole neighborhood loves him and every person that's ever met him loves him," Mosed said. "I would put my life on the line just to prove they're innocent."
Ahmed Jamil, who was painting at one house raided by the FBI, said 10 to 12 agents appeared at about 6 p.m. Friday, looking for a man in his 20s. The man was not home, said Jamil, who lives in the neighborhood. He said the house belongs to the man's father-in-law.
Jamil said the agents searched for a half-hour and left the house a mess. He said the son-in-law occasionally filled in for the leader at the Lackawanna Islamic Mosque two blocks away. Jamil said he didn't believe any of the men had ties to al-Qaida.
Phone messages at the mosque were not immediately returned.
"They went to Pakistan, and I'm absolutely sure their purpose was to further their Islamic education because sometimes they led the prayers in the mosque," Jamil said. "And they have no other intentions besides that." Dr. Khalid Qazi, president of the American Muslim Council of Western New York, said he was told the investigation started when the local Muslim community reported suspicious activities to the FBI.
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Associated Press writer John Lumpkin in Washington contributed to this report.
Uh-huh.