Two Men Charged in Missile Plot Appear in U.S. Court
Aug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- A British arms dealer and a Malaysian man, arrested in a government sting operation, were accused of plotting to smuggle a Russian-made shoulder-fired missile into the U.S. to shoot down an American commercial airliner.
Hemant Lakhani, a 68-year-old London resident of Indian descent, was charged with two counts of aiding terrorism by conspiring to sell the shoulder-fired missile to an undercover U.S. agent posing as a terrorist.
The case relied on cooperation between U.S., British and Russian law enforcement officials. The international undercover effort comes amid heightened concern with the threat from shoulder-fired missiles after a failed attack last November by al- Qaeda-affiliated terrorists on an Israeli passenger plane in Mombasa, Kenya.
``There is no question Mr. Lakhani was someone sympathetic to the beliefs of the terrorists who are trying to do damage to our country,'' U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie told a news conference today at the U.S. Courthouse in Newark after the court appearance. ``The terrorists who threaten America lost an ally in their quest to kill our citizens.''
Lakhani was charged with ``attempting to import into this country for sale a shoulder-fired missile specifically for the purpose of shooting an American commercial airliner out of the sky.'' Christie said. He called the suspect a ``significant international arms dealer.''
Lakhani expected to be paid $500,000 as a 10 percent down payment for the delivery of another 50 missiles when he met yesterday with the undercover agent, Christie said.
`Anxious Participant'
``Mr. Lakhani was a knowing, willing and anxious participant in the plan,'' Christie said.
Lakhani and Moinuddeen Ahmed Hameed of Malaysia appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Wigenton, who ordered them held without bail pending hearings next week. A third man, Yehuda Abraham, 76, of New York, is due to appear in federal court in Manhattan later today.
Lakhani was arrested yesterday, authorities said. Hameed, charged with conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, arrived from Malaysia yesterday to help launder the $500,000 payment for the planned sale of the addition 50 missiles, Christie said.
Abraham is accused of handling an initial payment of $30,000 for the missile that was smuggled into the U.S. as part of the sting. Christie described the shoulder-fired missile as a ``dud'' that was rigged to look as if it were a live weapon.
Last Updated: August 13, 2003 12:23 EDT
"They were informants, not real terrorists. This guy was just the dealer. If "they" said they wanted 50, he tried to get 50 from his "supplier", who also turned out to be "the man". Guy got caught in a double sting, both ends of his deal were not what they appeared to be to him. To FReaking Bad!