Mosque Leader Arrested on Drug Charges

(Chicago Tribune) Matt O'Connor- Tariq Isa, 55, a Palestinian-American, was arrested last week as he arrived on a flight from the Mideast, charged with distributing 1.73 million tablets of pseudoephedrine, a chemical essential to manufacturing the illegal stimulant methamphetamine. Isa is the third leader of Chicago's Mosque of the Martyr Izzedine Al-Qassam to be criminally charged since last year. Ghassan Zayed Ballut and Hatem Fariz were indicted in Florida in 2003 for the alleged financing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group that has taken responsibility for suicide bombings that have killed scores of people in Israel. In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lisa Noller identified Isa, Ballut, and Fariz as the only three to hold signatory authority over the mosque's bank account. In seeking Isa's detention, Noller also said Isa has been photographed with Ramadan Shallah, the worldwide head of Islamic Jihad.


2004-08-12 00:00:00

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