Five former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, once the biggest Islamic charity in the United States, were arrested Tuesday on charges that they funneled $12.4 million to Palestinian terrorists.
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
WASHINGTON, July 27 – Five former leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, once the biggest Islamic charity in the United States, were arrested Tuesday on charges that they funneled $12.4 million to Palestinian terrorists. But two other charity officials wanted by the government were able to leave the country recently for the Middle East while they were under criminal investigation.
Law enforcement officials said the arrests represented one of their most important efforts since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to stem the flow of money to terrorists from the United States. Holy Land exploited American tax laws “to bankroll terror,” said Michael J. Garcia, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.
Lawyers for Holy Land promised to fight the charges vigorously, accusing the F.B.I. of fabricating evidence. They said the group had supported orphans, medical relief and other charitable causes in the Middle East and never knowingly gave money to Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, or any other organization promoting violence.
