NEW YORK: In what could be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in US history, federal prosecutors sought to take over four US mosques and a New York City skyscraper owned by a Muslim organization suspected of being controlled by the Iranian government.
Prosecutors on Thursday filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.
The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres (40 hectares) in Virginia; and a 36-story Manhattan office tower.
John D. Winter, the Alavi Foundation’s lawyer, said it intends to litigate the case and prevail. He said the foundation has been cooperating with the government’s investigation for the better part of a year.
“Obviously the foundation is disappointed that the government has decided to bring this action,” Winter told The Associated Press.
It is extremely rare for US law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion. The action against the mosques is sure to inflame relations between the US government and American Muslims, many of whom fear a backlash after last week’s Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.
“Whatever the details of the government’s case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
It is unclear what will happen to the properties if the government ultimately prevails. But the government typically sells properties it seizes through forfeiture and sometimes distributes the money to crime victims.
US attorney’s office spokeswoman Yusill Scribner said there are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of the tenants or occupants of the properties, which will remain open. Prosecutors said the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on behalf of the Iranian government and, working with a front company known as Assa Corp., illegally funneled millions in rental income to Iran’s state-owned Bank Melli.
A US Treasury official has accused Bank Melli of providing support for Iran’s nuclear program, and it is illegal in the United States to do business with the bank.
At the Islamic Institute of New York, a mosque and school in Queens, two US marshals rang a doorbell repeatedly, taped a forfeiture notice to the window and left a large document on the ground. The fourth Islamic center marked for seizure is in Carmichael, California.
