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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (CNN) — Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday in North Carolina in a cigarette smuggling trial that will test a 6-year-old federal antiterrorism law.

The trial of brothers Mohamad and Chawki Hammoud will test the 1996 law that prohibits support for terrorist organizations, the same law that accused American Taliban John Walker Lindh is charged with breaking.

Additionally, the trial will be the first U.S. case employing wiretap evidence gathered by the Canadian intelligence agency, CSIS. A CSIS employee — who will be identified only by her first name — will testify for the U.S. government.

The government alleges the Hammoud brothers took part in a conspiracy that bought cheap cigarettes in North Carolina and resold them in Michigan without paying that state’s higher cigarette taxes.

Both brothers face charges of cigarette smuggling, money laundering and racketeering.

Mohamad Hammoud, 28, is charged with federal immigration fraud, and providing material support to a terrorist group, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. (More on the case)

If convicted, Mohamad Hammoud, the first person to be tried on the terror charge, faces up to 10 years in prison. If convicted and sentenced at maximum levels on the other charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Earlier this month, Chawki Hammoud, 37, pleaded guilty to a federal immigration fraud charge.

Hezbollah, an Islamic group known as the “Army of God,” is active in Lebanon, with support from Syria and Iran. The affidavit described Hezbollah as a “designated foreign terrorist organization.” Hezbollah led a guerrilla war against Israel’s 18-year occupation of a border zone in southern Lebanon. Israel withdrew in May 2000.

The group is blamed for a number of terrorist attacks on U.S. interests, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy that killed more than 60 people and a Marine barracks in Beirut that killed another 241 American military personnel.

Authorities have not charged the Hammouds or any other defendants in the case with committing or planning violent or terrorist acts.

Five additional defendants remain at large: one is believed to be in Canada; four in Lebanon.

One of those charged is identified as Sheik Abbas Harake. According to the indictment, he is Hezbollah’s military commander in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is one of Hezbollah’s strongholds.

– CNN’s Henry Schuster contributed to this report.

See also how to buy cheap cigarettes online

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 5th, 2002 at 2:09 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (CNN) — Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday in North Carolina in a cigarette smuggling trial that will test a 6-year-old federal antiterrorism law.

The trial of brothers Mohamad and Chawki Hammoud will test the 1996 law that prohibits support for terrorist organizations, the same law that accused American Taliban John Walker Lindh is charged with breaking.

Additionally, the trial will be the first U.S. case employing wiretap evidence gathered by the Canadian intelligence agency, CSIS. A CSIS employee — who will be identified only by her first name — will testify for the U.S. government.

The government alleges the Hammoud brothers took part in a conspiracy that bought cheap cigarettes in North Carolina and resold them in Michigan without paying that state’s higher cigarette taxes.

Both brothers face charges of cigarette smuggling, money laundering and racketeering.

Mohamad Hammoud, 28, is charged with federal immigration fraud, and providing material support to a terrorist group, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. (More on the case)

If convicted, Mohamad Hammoud, the first person to be tried on the terror charge, faces up to 10 years in prison. If convicted and sentenced at maximum levels on the other charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Earlier this month, Chawki Hammoud, 37, pleaded guilty to a federal immigration fraud charge.

Hezbollah, an Islamic group known as the “Army of God,” is active in Lebanon, with support from Syria and Iran. The affidavit described Hezbollah as a “designated foreign terrorist organization.” Hezbollah led a guerrilla war against Israel’s 18-year occupation of a border zone in southern Lebanon. Israel withdrew in May 2000.

The group is blamed for a number of terrorist attacks on U.S. interests, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy that killed more than 60 people and a Marine barracks in Beirut that killed another 241 American military personnel.

Authorities have not charged the Hammouds or any other defendants in the case with committing or planning violent or terrorist acts.

Five additional defendants remain at large: one is believed to be in Canada; four in Lebanon.

One of those charged is identified as Sheik Abbas Harake. According to the indictment, he is Hezbollah’s military commander in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is one of Hezbollah’s strongholds.

– CNN’s Henry Schuster contributed to this report.

See also how to buy cheap cigarettes online

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 5th, 2002 at 2:09 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.