Kesher Talk

Hamas fundraiser at the head of Albany's biggest Mosque?: The Albany Times-Union reported yesterday that Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanooti, the "spiritual leader of the Capital Region's largest Muslim mosque, allegedly raised more than $6 million for a Middle Eastern terrorist organization and was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to court records, interviews and a classified FBI memorandum." But Al-Hanooti, "the 65-year-old imam at the Islamic Center of the Capital District for the past year and a half, denies the allegations and insisted he has not been a fundraiser for Hamas." No "criminal charges have ever been filed against Al-Hanooti, and federal court records do not outline how he allegedly participated in any conspiracy or terrorist attacks. But a classified memorandum written by the FBI's counterterrorism director less than a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks describes Al-Hanooti as a 'big supporter' of Hamas."

posted by Howard @ 7/01/2002 10:18:53 AM