Federal authorities in Philadelphia announced charges yesterday against four men for their alleged participation in a two-year plot to funnel money and weapons to the terrorist group Hezbollah, the second local weapons indictment unsealed this week.
According to an indictment filed yesterday by the U.S. Attorney's Office, two of the men - Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb, both of Beirut, Lebanon - agreed in June to buy 1,200 Colt M4 carbine assault rifles from a government informant in Philadelphia. The weapons were intended to be shipped to Syria.
Authorities also charged six other men in connection with the plot. They played lesser roles that centered on buying and transporting stolen cell phones, sneakers and phony Mitchell & Ness jerseys, according to the indictment.
On Monday authorities charged 12 men in connection with a similar investigation involving an undercover agent selling scores of stolen goods to men who directed the items overseas.
The earlier indictments had one notable twist - a Slovakain man, Dani Nemr Tarraf, had allegedly sought to have anti-aircraft missiles and 10,000 Colt M4 carbines shipped to Iran or Syria.
Tarraf was arrested in Philadelphia on Saturday, after, authorities said, he arrived to inspect the missiles and machine guns, for which he allegedly had paid a $20,000 down payment during the summer.
Federal officials declined to specify for whom the weapons were intended, although Tarraf was quoted in an affidavit as saying that they were to be used by "the Resistance."
Authorities said there was no question that the men at the center of this latest investigation have ties to Hezbollah, the notorious resistance group based in Lebanon.
According to the indictment, Harb arranged a meeting between the government informant and a Hezbollah official on June 20, when the men discussed selling weapons to Hezbollah.
A few days later, Harb and Hodroj agreed to pay the informant more than $2 million for 1,200 machine guns. Hodroj told the informant to send the weapons in small shipments to the port of Latakia in Syria, the indictment shows.
Authorities allege that the men also sought to provide financial support to Hezbollah through a variety of means.
In September, Harb allegedly mailed about $9,200 of counterfeit money to the informant in Philadelphia.
According to the indictment, Harb previously claimed that the government of Iran produced high-quality fake U.S. currency that was sold to benefit Hezbollah.
Harb and Hodroj face the most serious charges, including conspiracy to provide materiel support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to transport weapons in interstate commerce.
Also facing the serious charge of providing material support to a terrorist organization are Moussa Ali Hamdan of Brooklyn and Hasan Antar Karaki of Beirut, authorities said.
All four men are still on the loose and could face decades in prison.
Five men linked to the plot are in federal custody: Michael Katz of Plainsboro, N.J.; Maodo Kane of the Bronx; Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed and Hassan el-Najjar, both of Brooklyn; and Moustafa Habib Kassem of Staten Island, authorities said.
They face charges that include conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and conspiracy to transport stolen goods.
Hamdan allegedly made numerous purchases from the informant in Philadelphia.
Among his purchases, which were often shipped overseas: 334 counterfeit Mitchell&Ness vintage sports jerseys, thousands of supposedly stolen cell phones and fake Nike sneakers, and even a pair of Honda CR-Vs, according to the indictment.
"The allegations contained in this complaint demonstrate how terrorist organizations rely on a variety of underlying criminal activities to fund and arm themselves," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security.
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