SOUTHFIELD - While some leaders in the Muslim community were shocked and saddened by the Monday morning raid of an Islamic charity in Southfield, others said it came as no surprise.
"We're used to this kind of activity from the federal government prior to the month of Ramadan," said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News, based in Dearborn. "Their pattern of behavior has been the same since September 11 (2001). They do raids and things like this ... always before the holidays."
FBI, local police and Joint Terrorism Task Force agents executed search warrants at the Southfield headquarters of Life for Relief and Development around 8:40 a.m., said organization CEO Khalil Jassemm, whose home was also raided during the same period, along with the homes of other board members.
The charity's head of legal services, Ihsan Alkhatib, told The Associated Press that agents are investigating whether the charity conducted business in Iraq before the 2003 war in violation of legal sanctions against the country.
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