Chicago | Alleged al Qaeda Supporter Arrested

Chicago, IL (Mar 26) – Raja Lahrasib Khan, 56 a taxi driver from Chicago was arrested this morning without incident by Chicago’s FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Khan, a native of Pakistan is alleged to have discussed attacking a stadium in the U.S. this summer. The FBI reports there was not imminent domestic danger regarding this threat.

Charged with two counts of providing material support to terrorism, by at least 2008 Kahn, who claims to know a “Illyas Kashmiri”  for approximately 15 years, learned that the same individual was working for al Qaeda known as a leader in Kashmir of Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islam (HUJI) a Sunni extremist group located in Pakistan and Kashmir.

Charges against Kahn allege that on November 23, 2009 he sent a money transfer of approximately $950 to Pakistan from a currency exchange located in Chicago to an individual who has been tentatively identified as either Mirpur or Bhimper in Pakistan

During a phone conversation Khan, was alleged to have been given instructions to provide “Lala” (Older Brother) with an additional 25,000 rupees. Khan had passed this information unknowingly along to an informant. “Lala” is thought to be known as Khan’s older brother.

The discussion regarding the incident involving a “stadium” occurred just two weeks ago on March 11, 2010. On March 17, after agreeing to personally delivering $1,000 to Kashmiri, funds an undercover agent provided, Khan had confirmed that Kashmiri was working with al Qaeda and assured the undercover agent the money would go to purchasing weapons.

The investigation is ongoing whereas, each count of support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum of 15 years in prison and $250,000 fine.

The defendant Khan, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and the above information obtained via the complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office, is entitled to a fair trial at which time the government bears the burden of proving the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Posted by rgrone on March 26, 2010. Filed under Crime - Punishment,National News,terrorism,US Criminal Justice,WorldNewsVine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.