Mohammed Mosharref Hossain
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Mosharref Hossain is the proprietor of an Albany
New York pizza
parlour, and a founder of the Masjid As-Salam mosque in Albany, N.Y., who was arrested by Federal authorities on August 6, 2004, as part of a counter-terrorism sting. Hossain, and an associate, Yassin M. Aref
were arrested on charges that they took part in what they thought was a plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate a Pakistani diplomat in New York City.http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/06/nyregion/2-albany-men-are-arrested-in-plot-to-import-a-missile-and-kill-a-diplomat.html?pagewanted=1 They were convicted of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. In July 2008 the appellate court upheld the convictions, rejecting all of the defense's arguments.
Hossain was born in Bangladesh
.
The Albany Times Union reports that US forces found Aref's name, address, and phone number. in a notebook found in a bombed out Iraqi encampment.
The FBI sent an informer to make contact with Aref through Hossain, to try to get them to participate in an illegal arms deal.
The Times Union reported that their lawyers filed motions to learn whether the pair were subjected to warrantless surveillance by the NSA. Normally the NSA is not authorized to conduct electronic surveillance of Americans, only foreign nationals.
However, in December 2005, the New York Times revealed that President Bush
had taken the controversial step of secretly authorizing the NSA to expand its surveillance to within the United States
. Bush claimed that the US Constitution empowered him to authorize warrantless wiretaps when the US Congress granted him the authority to use force in Iraq
.
According to their lawyers if it is determined that President Bush's authorization of warrantless wiretaps were unconstitutional, and Aref had been investigated through warrantless wiretaps, the prosecutions case would be "jeopardized".
A grand jury
indicted Hossain and Aref on October 1, 2005. They were both convicted of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
New York pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
parlour, and a founder of the Masjid As-Salam mosque in Albany, N.Y., who was arrested by Federal authorities on August 6, 2004, as part of a counter-terrorism sting. Hossain, and an associate, Yassin M. Aref
Yassin M. Aref
Yassin M. Aref is a resident of Albany, New York, who was arrested by Federal authorities in August 2004 as part of a counter-terrorism sting operation, convicted in October 2006 of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering...
were arrested on charges that they took part in what they thought was a plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate a Pakistani diplomat in New York City.http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/06/nyregion/2-albany-men-are-arrested-in-plot-to-import-a-missile-and-kill-a-diplomat.html?pagewanted=1 They were convicted of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. In July 2008 the appellate court upheld the convictions, rejecting all of the defense's arguments.
Hossain was born in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
The Albany Times Union reports that US forces found Aref's name, address, and phone number. in a notebook found in a bombed out Iraqi encampment.
The FBI sent an informer to make contact with Aref through Hossain, to try to get them to participate in an illegal arms deal.
The Times Union reported that their lawyers filed motions to learn whether the pair were subjected to warrantless surveillance by the NSA. Normally the NSA is not authorized to conduct electronic surveillance of Americans, only foreign nationals.
However, in December 2005, the New York Times revealed that President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
had taken the controversial step of secretly authorizing the NSA to expand its surveillance to within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Bush claimed that the US Constitution empowered him to authorize warrantless wiretaps when the US Congress granted him the authority to use force in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
According to their lawyers if it is determined that President Bush's authorization of warrantless wiretaps were unconstitutional, and Aref had been investigated through warrantless wiretaps, the prosecutions case would be "jeopardized".
A grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
indicted Hossain and Aref on October 1, 2005. They were both convicted of conspiring to aid a terrorist group and provide support for a weapon of mass destruction, as well as money-laundering and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.