Search
Advertisement

CBS4.com Top Stories

Guard Killed In Dadeland Mall Robbery More
| Digg | Facebook | Stumble It! | Delicious del.icio.us | Fark
E-mail | Print
Sep 18, 2008 7:45 am US/Eastern

South Floridians Indicted On Weapons Sale To Iran

U.S. Says Electronic Parts Shipped By South Floridians Were Used To Make Roadside Bombs Planted By Anti-U.S. Forces In Iraq

Improvised-Explosive Devices Have Killed 1,722 U.S. Troops In Iraq Since March 2003

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Electronic equipment sold to Iran which could make explosives and improvised explosive devices used in Iraq against U.S. soldiers were sold by South Floridian companies, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, on Wednesday.

A federal grand jury in Miami, FL, has returned an indictment charging eight individuals and eight corporations in connection with their participation in conspiracies to export U.S.-manufactured commodities to prohibited entities and to Iran. 

According to the US Attorney, Alexander Acosta, the purchases were from suppliers in South Florida.  These suppliers had no idea the chips were being used for terrorism. They were duped with fake documents and aliases and thought they were trading with Europe, China, and Malaysia.

The U.S. government further claims the goods were used to make roadside bombs planted by anti-U.S. forces in Iraq. 

The indictment stems from an undercover investigation, headed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that exposed a ring selling U.S.-made ''dual use'' goods to Iran, in violation of a U.S. prohibition on such sales to that country, officials said. 

The goods are called "dual-use" because they are considered technologies that have commercial application, but could also be used to further the military or nuclear potential of other nations and could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States. 

The indictment, issued on 11 September of this year, but revealed today, alleges that the defendants exported 120 field-programmable gate arrays, more than 5000 integrated circuits of varying types, approximately 345 Global Positioning Systems ("GPS"), 12,000 Microchip brand micro-controllers, and a field communicator.  All of these items have potential military applications, including as components in the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  

The charges are the result of an inter-agency investigation into the use of  U.S.-made goods in the construction of IEDs and other explosive devices used against Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Charged in indictment are: Ali Akbar Yahya, an Iranian national and naturalized British citizen; F.N. Yaghmaei, a/k/a " Farrokh Nia Yaghmaei," an Iranian national; Mayrow General Trading, Atlinx Electronics, Micatic General Trading, Madjico Micro Electronics, a/k/a "MME," and Al-Faris, all Dubai-based businesses; Neda Industrial Group, an Iran-based business; Bahman Ghandi, a/k/a "Brian Ghandi," an Iranian national; Farshid Gillardian, a/k/a "Isaac Gillardian," a/k/a "Isaac Gill," an Iranian national and a naturalized British citizen; Kaam Chee Mun, a/k/a "Brian Kaam," a resident of Malaysia; Djamshid Nezhad, a/k/a "Reza," a resident of Germany; Ahmad Rahzad, a/k/a "Saeb Karim," an Iranian national; Majid Seif, a/k/a "Mark Ong,"a/k/a "Matti Chong," an Iranian national residing in Malaysia; and Eco Biochem Sdn BHD and Vast Solution Sdn BHD, Malaysian businesses. The defendants are charged with purchasing and causing the export of U.S. goods to Iran through middle countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, England, Germany, and Singapore.

 

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Papal Visit

From Our Partners

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Lifestyle

Top News Stories

Advertisement

© MMVIII, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.