Rana sought to sneak in people into US: FBI

November 04, 2009 09:04 am | Updated December 17, 2016 05:16 am IST - Washington

Pakistani-born-Canadian citizen, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was arrested by the FBI on charges of plotting terror attacks in India and elsewhere, sought to illegally sneak in people into the US.

Federal prosecutors told a Chicago court on Tuesday that Rana communicated with a Lashkar-e-Taiba leader in this regard and provided him the loopholes in the US immigration system on how to bring people into the country.

Rana, who was arrested last month on charges of plotting attacks in India and Denmark, in association with his friend David Coleman Headley and LeT, sought bail from the court by providing a security of nearly USD one million.

The proceedings of the court on his bail application will continue till November 10.

Referring to the several email and tapped telephone conversations, federal authorities said Rana has not only the knowledge and ability to engage in immigration fraud, but also has the willingness to do so.

As recently as September four, the LeT leader -- whose name has not been identified, and Rana discussed over phone the “business” loophole in obtaining immigration status in the US.

After the LeT leader noted that “this person’s degree was in “textiles” and thus his work did not fall into one of the 38 categories of “occupations”, Rana, according to federal prosecutors stated as follows: “But, it... it is not necessary that it should fall in there... Make him a cook...

“Tell him that he has a diploma for a two-year, four-year, it can even be from some food stand -- which, but it must confirm that ‘yes, I’m a cook. And he should learn something. The whole purpose is immigration, right.”

The same day, Rana had a telephonic conversation with a third party regarding the employment history of an individual seeking immigration status, federal authorities said in their additional submission made before the Chicago court.

“After the third party explained that this individual’s employment history had overlapping information, Rana noted that this would be a problem.

“The third party then suggested that, to address that issue, he could back—date a letter from an employer to a date in 1983,” the submission said.

“Careful to avoid detection, Rana then noted that he would have to use a typewriter, reminding the third party that there were no laser printers in 1983.

“Further, after this third party also informed Rana that the employer would be a fictitious business, Rana advised him to use a letter from a company that was real, even if it did not exist anymore.

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