US men held for al-Qaeda ties

2005-05-30 21:07

New York - A martial-arts specialist from New York and a doctor from Florida were arrested and charged with conspiring to help train and provide medical services to members of al-Qaeda, United States media reported on Monday.

Tarik ibn Osman Shah and Rafiq Sabir, both US citizens, were arrested early on Friday after a two-year FBI sting operation, according to a report in the New York Times.

Officials said they had no evidence that either man actually provided support to terrorists, but had taped each man swearing their loyalty to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The two men, who also are accused of trying to recruit new prospective terrorists, "committed themselves to the path of Holy War", according to the statement in the daily.

According to affidavits, between 2003 and sometime this month, Shah and Sabir met a law-enforcement informant and an FBI agent posing as an al-Qaeda operative and recruiter.

According to the documents, Shah agreed to provide training in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat to al-Qaeda members and associates.

Taped the exchanges

Sabir agreed to provide medical assistance to wounded jihadists in Saudi Arabia, the statement said, citing testimony provided by an undercover law-enforcement agent, who taped the exchanges.

"During these conversations, Mr Shah repeatedly indicated his desire to train Muslim 'brothers' in the martial arts in order to wage jihad and also regularly discussed his desire to find people who were willing to press the fight," according to a court complaint quoted by the Times.

According to the newspaper, both men were to appear in federal court in New York on Tuesday.

- AFP