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September 18, 2006
US: Detroit Muslim Charity Raided By FBI
With a hat tip to LGF, news from Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and Associated Press via International Herald Tribune and the Jerusalem Post, reports that earlier today, FBI officials in conjunction with Joint Terrorism Task Force agents raided a Muslim charity in Southfield, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.
The charity is called Life for Relief and Development, and was founded in 1992 by Iraqi Americans. Apparently it has raised "more than $50 million in humanitarian assistance to more than 13 million beneficiaries worldwide", according to its website. The website also claims that the charity is a non-profit NGO in "consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN" and is registered with United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The reasons for the raid, which was carried out under search warrants which, according to FBI spokeswoman Dawn Clenney, pertain "to an ongoing criminal matter". The warrants were signed off by a judge, but the affidavits which gave rise to them have been sealed.
The raids took place at around 9 am EST, and documents, letters and ledgers were removed, claims Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Walid said: "They're seizing documents. They haven't closed down the charity, they haven't filed any charges against the organization nor have they arrested anyone. It was totally unexpected and they're baffled."
A photo in the Detroit Free Press shows office cabinets being wheeled onto the back of a truck.
When more information is known, we shall provide an update.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 18, 2006 7:22 PM
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