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| November 15, 2001 | Thursday | Shaba’an 28, 1422 |
FBI raids two houses owned by Pakistanis
WASHINGTON, Nov 14: Two houses owned by Pakistani Americans in the Chester suburb of Philadelphia were raided by FBI agents and members of a hazardous materials squad on Tuesday and a number of items were removed from the houses. No one was detained.
According to The Washington Times, which reported the raid on Wednesday, the houses belong to Dr Irshad Shaikh, a pyhsician and specialist in epidemic diseases who, ironically, is Chester city’s health commissioner, and Asif Kazi, who also works for the city government of Chester as an accountant.
The presence in the raiding party of people dealing with hazardous materials and wearing protective gear immediately raises suspicion that the action is related to the ongoing investigations into anthrax cases.
The Washington Times said an FBI spokesperson had confirmed that search warrants were signed and served and were based on an FBI affidavit that was sealed by a federal court.
This is said to be the first raid on private residences during the anthrax investigations.
Neither Dr Shaikh nor Mr Kazi was available for comment. But Dr Shaikh was reported to have told AP he had “fully cooperated” in the search of his house.
Several plastic trash bags were removed from the houses. It was not known what they contained.
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