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Muslim Charity Officer Pleads Not Guilty NewsMax.com WiresWORCESTER, Mass. -- A former officer of a defunct Islamic charity pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges of lying to authorities investigating the group's alleged ties to terrorist organizations. Muhamed Mubayyid was released on bond and given an electronic monitoring bracelet after a court hearing. He was one of two former officers of a group called Care International to be indicted on charges of concealing information from federal agencies, conspiring to defraud the government, and making false statements to the FBI. Story Continues Below Mubayyid, 40, was Care International's treasurer and had been employed by Ptech Inc., a Quincy software company that was in the news two years ago after federal agents searched its offices as part of an investigation into funding of terrorist groups. No charges were brought against Ptech or its officers. Care International - which is not affiliated with the venerable relief group CARE International - was the Boston branch of the Al-Kifah Refugee Center, based in New York City. Known by various spellings, the center was a recruitment office for Mektab al Khidmat, or MAK, which Osama bin Laden co-founded in the 1980s to recruit members to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, according to the 9/11 Commission. Care International says in its promotional materials that it was formed to help war orphans, widows and refugees in Muslim nations. The organization raised $1.7 million in donations from 1993 to 2001. According to the indictment, Care was raising and spending money to support and promote mujahideen fighters and jihad, and published a pro-jihadist newsletter, al-Hussam, or The Sword. It didn't reveal those activities in its tax forms filed with the government, and didn't reveal its links to Al-Kifah. Mubayyid's lawyer, Michael Andrews, declined to comment after the hearing. U.S. District Judge Charles Swartwood III ordered Mubayyid not to travel outside of Worcester County or eastern Massachusetts while his case is pending.
© 2005 The Associated Press
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