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Thursday, June 9, 2005

The arrests and the related detention of two Muslim leaders on alleged immigration violations are part of an investigation that is trying to determine whether authorities have uncovered a network of al-Qaida supporters in Lodi, Calif., according to federal law enforcement officials who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing.

Lodi is an agricultural town 40 miles south of Sacramento.

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Hamid Hayat, a U.S. citizen, was interviewed by the FBI last Friday and at first denied any link to terror camps. But the next day he was given a polygraph test and admitted he attended an al-Qaida camp in Pakistan in 2003 and 2004, according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Pedro Aguilar that was unsealed Tuesday.

In the course of weapons training, Hayat said photos of President Bush and other American political figures were pasted onto targets, the affidavit said. At the end of training, participants were given the opportunity to choose the nation in which their attacks would be carried out.

"Hamid advised that he specifically requested to come to the United States to carry out his jihadi mission," according to the affidavit. "Potential targets for attack included hospitals and large food stores."

Hayat and his father, Umer Hayat, were detained over the weekend, FBI Agent John Cauthen said Tuesday. The elder Hayat, also a U.S. citizen, lied about his son's involvement and money he sent for the son's training, the affidavit said.

Both men were being held at the Sacramento County Jail. Umer Hayat's attorney, Johnny Griffin III, called the allegations "shocking" but said his client "is charged with nothing more than lying to an agent."

Federal authorities need just one charge to obtain an arrest warrant, Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said. Additional charges could follow, Sierra said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter A. Nowinski denied a bail request for the elder Hayat, saying he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.

"He just returned from Pakistan where he built a new home and contributed financial assistance to an al-Qaida sponsored program training his son and others to kill Americans whenever and wherever they can be found," Nowinski said.

Hamid Hayat's attorney wasn't in court, and Nowinski set his bail hearing for Friday.

Hamid Hayat was trying to return to the U.S. on May 29 when the FBI told its Sacramento office that he was on the federal "no-fly" list.

The plane was diverted to Japan, where Hayat was interviewed by the FBI and denied any connection to terrorism. He was allowed to fly to California, but was interviewed again on Friday and Saturday.

He voluntarily took a lie detector test, which the affidavit said indicated he was not telling the truth. Hayat then acknowledged spending time at the training camp, the affidavit said.

Cauthen identified the two other men as Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammed Adil Khan. They were detained early Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, ICE spokesman Dean Boyd said.

The Web site for the Farooqia Islamic Center in Lodi identifies both men as imams.

The Sacramento Bee reported that the men were detained after meeting separately with Umer Hayat on Saturday.

© 2005 The Associated Press

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