"Alleged missile plot uncovered in Albany"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON - Two leaders of a mosque in Albany, N.Y., were arrested on charges stemming from an alleged plot to purchase a shoulder-fired missile that would be used to assassinate the Pakistani ambassador in New York, according to court papers filed Thursday.

The men have ties to a group called Ansar al-Islam, which has been linked to al-Qaida, according to two federal law enforcement authorities speaking on condition of anonymity. U.S. officials have said that Ansar's members are thought to be affiliated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant whose network is blamed for attacks on U.S. forces and their allies in Iraq (news - web sites).

The arrests came as FBI (news - web sites), Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agents executed search warrants at the Masjid As-Salam mosque and two Albany-area residences late Wednesday and early Thursday. The men were identified as Yassin Aref, 34, the imam of the mosque, and Mohammed Hossain, 49, one of the mosque's founders. Hossain also owns the Little Italy Pizzeria in Albany, court documents said.

The Albany case was not related to the Bush administration's terror alerts over the weekend indicating that al-Qaida may be plotting attacks against U.S. financial buildings, officials said. Some have criticized the decision to issue the warning, which was largely based on intelligence that was several years old.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20040805/ap_on_re_us/mosque_raid

[newyawker99]

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