Christians Under Attack

ALBANY, New York — A judge refused Monday to dismiss charges against two Muslims accused of supporting terrorism, saying there was enough evidence to go forward despite defense arguments that the men were entrapped

Yassin Aref, imam at the Masjid as-Salam mosque in Albany, and Mohammed Hossain, a co-founder of the mosque, were arrested in August 2004, accused of laundering money for an FBI informant posing as an arms dealer.

U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy said there was sufficient evidence for a trial. He also refused to grant separate trials for the men, who have pleaded not guilty.

Aref, 35, a native of northern Iraq's Kurdish area, immigrated to the United States with his family in 1999. Hossain, 50, a native of Bangladesh who owns an Albany pizzeria, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Prosecutors maintained that they were willing participants in criminal activity, while the defense argued Monday that the men were entrapped.

The FBI informant allegedly told the men that some $50,000 they held for him was from the sale of a missile that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. The men say they never believed the business deal was part of a terrorist plot.

If convicted of all charges, Aref faces up to 470 years in prison and $7.25 million in fines while Hossain faces 450 years in prison and $6.75 million in fines. Aref remains in jail awaiting trial. Hossain is free on bail and declined to comment leaving court.

They are accused of attempting to provide support to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group listed by the federal government as a terrorist organization.

Aref is charged with lying to federal officials by failing to disclose his former membership in the nationalist Islamic Movement in Kurdistan. The government also alleges that Aref knew Mullah Krekar, the founder of Ansar al-Islam, which U.S. authorities say is a terrorist group that has ties to al-Qaida and has been responsible for attacks on American forces in the Middle East.