Nov 12, 2009 5:30 pm US/Central
Feds Move To Seize 4 U.S. Mosques, NYC Building
CBS News Timeline: The U.S. And Iran
CBS News Interactive: About Islam
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.
In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.
The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.
Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U.S. government of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.
A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered. Nor was a call to the Alavi Foundation.
Alavi Foundation Web Site
It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.
The action against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to inflame relations between the U.S. government and American Muslims, many of whom are fearful of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.
The mosques and the skyscraper will remain open while the forfeiture case works its way through court in what could be a long process. What will happen to them if the government ultimately prevails is unclear. But the government typically sells properties it has seized through forfeiture, and the proceeds are sometimes distributed to crime victims.
Prosecutors said the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on behalf of the Iranian government and, working with a front company known as Assa Corp., illegally funneled millions in rental income to Iran's state-owned Bank Melli. Bank Melli has been accused by a U.S. Treasury official of providing support for Iran's nuclear program, and it is illegal in the United States to do business with the bank.
The U.S. has long suspected the foundation was an arm of the Iranian government; a 97-page complaint details involvement in foundation business by several top Iranian officials, including the deputy prime minister and ambassadors to the United Nations.
"For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
There were no raids Thursday as part of the forfeiture action. The government is simply required to post notices of the civil complaint on the property.
As prosecutors outlined their allegations against Alavi, the Islamic centers and the schools they run carried on with normal activity. The mosques' leaders had no immediate comment.
Parents lined up in their cars to pick up their children at the schools within the Islamic Education Center of Greater Houston and the Islamic Education Center in Rockville, Md. No notices of the forfeiture action were posted at either place as of late Thursday.
At the Islamic Ins ute of New York, a mosque and school in Queens, two U.S. marshals came to the door and rang the bell repeatedly. The marshals taped a forfeiture notice to the window and left a large do ent sitting on the ground. After they left a group of men came out of the building and took the do ent.
The fourth Islamic center marked for seizure is in Carmichael, Calif.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
They must have some very solid evidence to go about doing this.
Although I'm not religious, it's alarming to me that the government would seize a place of worship.
If the Iranians are using these facilities improperly, then I'm all for it. But, if the evidence is flimsy in any way, then this could be catastrophic for relations with muslim countries, and muslims in general.
Wow
i agree. however, most of our resident republicans will love this.
i don't think micca will like this.
all right let's bust some heads.
you know you don't want this.
Well at least Janet Reno, and Clinton aren't in charge, when they shows up at your place of worship you can kiss your ass goodbye.
thanks for proving my point.
"If it's Muslim, it's all bad. Tear those mosques down!"
... ST right-wing mob.
thanks for proving my point
He won't get it.
The Point is, had this been Bush, Cry Havoc, Winehole, Pixel, would be ing.
Good job feds.
this truly is empty space.
He won't get it.
This has the potential to turn out very ugly.
If there is or was wrong doing going on in the place of worship, something needed to be done. But this could turn on other religious places of worship as well.
I don't see any way this is going to turn out well.
dun worry the feds are going to come up with some bs or plant something in there and just frame them...
Hmmm. An anti-Muslim backlash, but not by rabid, redneck, red-staters, but intead, by the Fed.
Interesting.
Has there been any news of anti-Muslim backlash by racist teabaggers?
i knew you would hate this.
Score one for the good ol boys of the U.S.of.A!
Now, I wonder which overseas foreign investor we can flip this hot amerikan real estate to??? Perhaps we can bundle them with a port or two?
Last edited by EmptyMan; 11-13-2009 at 11:16 AM.
I'm not in favor of tearing them down, I say convert them to churches or synagogues.
Are you an idiot? Pointing out hypocrisy is not the same as disagreeing with the action.
I got nothing from Darrin indicating he hated what the feds did, and no one dubbed "conservative" on here has even voiced an objection save for some random posters.
All we are saying is that you assholes are being silent on this, had this been bush we would never hear about how republicans hate the cons ution and the bill of rights.
But you know what? You are being silent, and you along with boutons, dan, cry havoc and maybe manny (i'm not too sure on his stance) have done the proverbial pontius pilate hand washing over this, and turned it into a teabag thread.
Let's face it. As long as you dimwits get Universal health insurance and socialist liberal programs going, you don't give a diddly squat about any bill of rights or the cons utional philosophy if they stood in your way, so long as your objectives are met.
Anti Terrorism while contradictory in nature to the cons ution, are there to allow us to keep on observing it.
Socialist reforms also contradictory, come to abolish it.
THere's the rub.
I'm not sure on my stance. I don't think places of worship are by any means out of bounds from this type of action if the evidence is present to take it. I don't see how it would violate any cons utional principle but it is very likely they've gathered evidence for this using methods I am against.
I withhold judgment until more details on the case are presented. (FYI I did the same during the Bush years)
They were probably running an underground Mormon or Christian crime ring.
your posts are always a source of entertainment for me..
I needed a good laugh today.
Thanks
how could anyone be more clueless than micca.
you're getting closer and closer to dethroning micca.I got nothing from Darrin indicating he hated what the feds did, and no one dubbed "conservative" on here has even voiced an objection save for some random posters.
did it escape your attention that i started this thread?All we are saying is that you assholes are being silent on this,
that didn't come out quite right.had this been bush we would never hear about how republicans hate the cons ution and the bill of rights.
if you weren't so far away from the truth, i'd try to get you up to speed.But you know what? You are being silent, and you along with boutons, dan, cry havoc and maybe manny (i'm not too sure on his stance) have done the proverbial pontius pilate hand washing over this, and turned it into a teabag thread.
you're predidtable, and you no nothing of what we think or want.Let's face it. As long as you dimwits get Universal health insurance and socialist liberal programs going, you don't give a diddly squat about any bill of rights or the cons utional philosophy if they stood in your way, so long as your objectives are met.
not according to what the feds are doing.Anti Terrorism while contradictory in nature to the cons ution, are there to allow us to keep on observing it.
Socialist reforms also contradictory, come to abolish it.
THere's the rub.
you really your pants on this one, G.
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