Indian charged in US for aiding Hezbollah

Washington, Oct 28: An Indian citizen living illegally in the United States and another person have been charged in New York with attempting to provide weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah organisation, designated by US as a terrorist group.

Indian national Patrick Nayyar, 46, and Conrad Mulholland, 43, were charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors with agreeing to supply an FBI undercover agent with guns, ammunition, vehicles, bulletproof vests and night vision goggles.

They had already supplied a pistol, a pick-up truck and a box of ammunition to the FBI agent,whom they thought to be a Hezbollah member, believing that he would deliver the items to Hezbollah, they said.

Mulholland remains at large, the prosecutor's office said.

Nayyar residing illegally in Queens in New York was arrested on September 24 from his residence based on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing a firearm and ammunition as an illegal alien.

According to the indictment filed in Manhattan federal court, during a series of meetings between July 2009 and September 2009, Nayyar and Mulholland agreed to provide weapons, ammunition and vehicles to Hezbollah.

Preet Bharara, the Indian-American US attorney for the Southern District of New York, praised the investigative work of the FBI.