Calif. Men Arrested for Alleged Terror Links
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal authorities arrested a father and son after the younger man allegedly acknowledged that he attended an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan to learn "how to kill Americans," according to published reports.
Hamid Hayat and his father, Umer Hayat, 47, were arrested over the weekend on charges of lying to federal agents, FBI agent John Cauthen confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
According to prosecutors, Hamid Hayat trained to use explosives and other weapons, using photographs of President Bush as targets. The Sacramento Bee reported his age as 22; the Los Angeles Times said he is 23.
Umer Hayat was charged in the complaint with lying about his son's involvement and his own financing of the terror camp. His attorney, Johnny Griffin III, called the allegations "shocking" but said his client "is charged with nothing more than lying to an agent."
The detained men are both U.S. citizens. U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter A. Nowinski denied a bail request for the elder Hayat, saying he was "a flight risk and a danger to the community."
"He just returned from Pakistan where he built a new home and contributed financial assistance to an al-Qaida sponsored program training his son and others to kill Americans whenever and wherever they can be found," the Bee quoted Nowinski as saying.
Hamid Hayat's attorney was not present for the court hearing, and Nowinski set a bail hearing for him on Friday.
Hamid Hayat recently returned to California from Pakistan. After first denying any link to terrorist camps, Hayat reportedly told agents that he attended Al Qaeda camps in 2003 and 2004.
"Hamid advised that he specifically requested to come to the United States to carry out his jihadi mission," according to the affidavit. "Potential targets for attack would include hospitals and large food stores."
FBI agents raided the Hayat home on Tuesday, family members told the Times. They seized videocassettes, photographs, fax machines, prayer books and other items.
Two other men, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammed Adil Khan, were being held on immigration violations after meeting separately with Umer Hayat on Saturday, the Bee reported. All four men live in Lodi, about 40 miles south of Sacramento.
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