Abdulrahman Farhane
PER
Abdulrahman Farhane Farhane
The judge, Loretta A. Preska, referred to transcripts of secretly recorded conversations between a government informer and the bookseller, Abdulrahman Farhane. Mr. Farhane, a Moroccan-American who is 52, has emerged as the central figure in the case. Judge Preska said Mr. Farhane understood that he was talking about transferring funds to the Middle East to purchase arms and equipment, to be used for jihad against the United States. The evidence that prosecutors presented at Mr. Farhane's bail hearing added significant substance to the government's case against him. Mr. Hou wrote that Mr. Farhane, after he was arrested, told investigators that he had introduced Mr. Shah to the informer to help him send money to jihadists overseas. Judge Preska said recordings from the fall of 2001 make it clear that Mr. Farhane was talking about sending money for wireless communications and advanced weapons for Islamic fighters. Abdulrahman Farhane, a Moroccan-American, 52, has emerged as the central figure in the case. Referring to the transcripts of secretly recorded conversations between a government informer and Mr. Farhane, the bookseller, Judge Preska said Mr. Farhane understood that he was talking about transferring funds to the Middle East to purchase arms and equipment, which he knew would be used for jihad against the United States and other Western powers. The evidence that prosecutors presented at Mr. Farhane's bail hearing, in United States District Court in Manhattan, added significant substance to the government's case against him and three other defendants, including Tarik Shah, a New York jazz musician and martial arts instructor who also is Muslim.