Terrorist arms dealer extradited to U.S.

NEW YORK, June 13 (UPI) -- Monzer al-Kassar, an alleged international arms dealer, has been extradited from Spain and arrived in New York Friday to face federal terrorism charges.

Officials say the Syrian-born Kassar, through an international network of criminal associates, sold millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Colombian militant organization Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia.

The Justice Department indicted Kassar on four separate terrorism offenses including charges that the weapons sold, including thousands of machine guns, millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and surface-to-air missile systems, were used to kill Americans in Colombia.

"Monzer al-Kassar intended to provide millions of dollars worth of lethal weapons to a foreign terrorist organization to be used to kill Americans," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement.

"As a result of extraordinary cooperation with our international law enforcement partners, al-Kassar will now face justice for his crimes in a United States courtroom."

Kassar's conspiracy ring, which dates back to the 1970s, includes Tareq Mousa al-Ghazi and Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, who are both in New York after being extradited from Romania.

Kassar faces life imprisonment if convicted.