KANSAS CITY, MO - A 32-year-old Kansas City man has plead guilty to wiring money to Al-Qaida. Khalid Ouazzani, a Moroccan native, plead guilty to charges of bank fraud and money laundering Wednesday morning in federal court. It's the first time in the area that a US citizen has been indicted for sending money to terrorist organizations.
| That's part of the problem; we've had plenty doing this and he's the first one indicted. |
US Attorney Beth Phillips said Ouazzani became a US citizen about four years ago, but court papers say he swore an oath of allegiance to Al-Qaida in June 2008 and supported the terrorist group financially since August 2007.
Ouazzani and his family worshipped at the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City. The Muslim community in this pocket of Kansas City says that they hope their neighbors will choose to focus on Ouazzani's actions as a reflection on the individual, not his faith. Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City manager Mustafa Hussein gave FOX 4 News a statement saying "the person is guilty for his work, not because he is Muslim." |