Federal agents raid Islamic charity in suburban Detroit

[Soldier4Christ]

Federal counterterrorism officials on Monday raided the suburban Detroit offices of an international Muslim humanitarian organization.

FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents executed search warrants at the Southfield headquarters of Life for Relief and Development.

The warrants were based on a criminal assertion, but the affidavits in support of the warrants are sealed, William Kowalski, an assistant special agent in the FBI's Detroit office, told the Detroit Free Press.

"The warrants have been signed off by a judge, and it pertains to an ongoing criminal matter," FBI spokeswoman Dawn Clenney told The Associated Press. She did not give additional details.

The charity's head of legal services, Ihsan Alkhatib, said the agents are investigating whether the charity conducted business in Iraq before the 2003 war in violation of legal sanctions against the country.

Alkhatib said the organization "did everything by the book."

"They knew the government was looking at them through a magnifying glass," he said.

Agents hauled away documents, letters and ledgers starting about 9 a.m., said Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

"They're seizing documents," Walid said. "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."

Mohammed Alomari, spokesman for Life for Relief, described the federal agents as courteous and said staff members who remained in the office were cooperating. He said much of the staff was sent home for the day after agents arrived.

"They didn't really give a reason but some of it had to do with I guess they're looking for some financial information. But other than that it wasn't really clear what type of documents they were looking for," Alomari said.

"What we asked them is, can we still continue operating the charity, and they said yes."

Federal agents also raided homes in Ypsilanti and Dearborn owned by the charity's chief executive officer, Khalil Jassemm, The Detroit News reported. They also searched the Dearborn office of a group called Focus on American and Arab Interests and Relations, which is headed by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a former official of Life for Relief.

Alomari said the organization raises money for humanitarian relief efforts and for development projects such as building schools, water treatment plants, computer centers and sewing centers for women. He said the organization has offices in Iraq, Pakistan, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Sierra Leone and employs 25 people at its Southfield headquarters.

A statement on the organization's Web site said it "has provided over $50 million in humanitarian assistance to more than 13 million beneficiaries worldwide."

It was founded by Iraqi-Americans in 1992, and tax records show it raised about $10.6 million in 2004.

Alkhatib said the main concern is that the raid came less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is a peak time for donations to Life for Relief.

Walid said Monday's raid has other Detroit-area Islamic charity groups and their benefactors on edge.

"We're concerned it will have a chilling effect on our own community," he said.