NEW YORK, Feb 11: A bookstore owner in New York was jailed without bail on Friday for inciting Americans of foreign origin not to think of the United States as ‘our country’.
Before the verdict, a prosecutor played tapes of Abdulrahman Farhane’s conversations containing the ‘provocative ramarks’.
Mr Farhane, 51, was taken into custody and his bail was revoked by US District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who said her review of government evidence showed the nature of the case and quality of evidence was very compelling.
“It appears the government has very strong evidence of the terrorism offenses charged,” the judge said before the red-bearded Brooklyn man was led away.
During two bail hearings this week, prosecutors were forced to reveal details of the case against Mr Farhane, 42-year-old musician Tarik Shah and two others.
When he was arrested in October, Mr Farhane was charged with making false statements to the FBI. Tarik Shah was originally accused last spring of offering to train others in martial arts, leading his lawyer to call it the ‘karate-chop case’.
However, an indictment returned earlier this week portrayed the case in more sinister terms, saying Mr Farhane and Mr Shah conspired in 2001 to help an FBI witness send money to aid militants fighting Americans in Afghanistan.
