ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- No charges were pending Thursday against a Muslim charity suspected of ties to a doctoral student indicted on visa fraud charges and another charity suspected of funneling millions of dollars to Iraq illegally.
Federal agents raided the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Township facilities of the Islamic Assembly of North America Wednesday, carting off boxes and computer disks. No arrests were made and an FBI spokesman in Salt Lake City said the charity is not the focus of an investigation.
Islamic Assembly officials have said their group does not support terrorism.
The raids followed the indictment of a University of Idaho graduate student, who allegedly funneled money from overseas to the group and maintained the charity's Web sites, one of which promoted suicide attacks. Sami Omar al Huyassen, 34, is accused of visa fraud and lying to authorities.
The raid also coincided with the indictment of four Arab men in Syracuse, N.Y., associated with Help the Needy. The four allegedly funneled large sums of money to Iraq through Help the Needy. Sending money to Iraq has been illegal since 1990.
The Islamic Assembly says it was formed in 1993 to help spread the word of Islam and return the Islamic nation to its former glory. The formation followed meetings among individuals linked with several Islamic centers and organizations. The group's Web site has no links to radical sites or mention of jihad.
Nazih Hassan, head of the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor, said the Islamic Assembly is apolitical and focuses on publishing books by Islamic scholars and translating Islamic works into English.
