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MAN DETAINED CARRYING FAKE CASHIER'S CHECKS - POST
WASHINGTON, JULY 20 (KUNA) -- A JORDANIAN-BORN NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZEN WAS
DETAINED AT DETROIT AIRPORT AFTER ARRIVING FROM INDONESIA WITH 12 MILLION
DOLLARS OF FRAUDULENT CASHIER'S CHECKS, THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTED ON
SATURDAY.
U.S. OFFICIALS TOLD THE POST OMAR SHISHANI, 47, IS OF CHECHEN DESCENT AND
WAS ON A WATCH LIST OF PEOPLE TRAINED IN AFGHANISTAN BY AL-QAEDA NETWORK.
THEY SAID HE WAS STOPPED BY U.S. CUSTOMS AND ASKED IF HE WAS CARRYING ANY
UNDECLARED CASH OR MONETARY INSTRUMENTS, TO WHICH HE SAID NO.
HE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A SECONDARY INSPECTION AREA WHERE HE WAS ASKED THAT
QUESTION AGAIN AND REPLIED THAT HE HAD ONLY THE CASH IN HIS WALLET. HIS BAGS
WERE SEARCHED AND CUSTOMS OFFICERS FOUND NINE CASHIER'S CHECKS. TWO WERE FOR
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS EACH, TWO WERE FOR 500,000 DOLLARS EACH AND FIVE WERE FOR
200,000 DOLLARS EACH.
U.S. CUSTOMS AGENTS THEN ARRESTED SHISHANI.
THE CHECKS PURPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY THE POMONA, CALIFORNIA BRANCH
OF WEST AMERICA BANK. THE BANK HAS NO BRANCH IN POMONA, THE POST SAID. IT WAS
TOLD THAT THE BANK USES THE TERM "OFFICIAL CHECK" NOT "CASHIER'S CHECK" ON ITS
MONETARY INSTRUMENTS.
SECRET SERVICE AGENT CLARENCE LESTER SAID IN AN AFFIDAVIT PRESENTED AT
SHISHANI'S COURT ARRAIGNMENT THAT SIMILAR CHECKS HAD BEEN FOUND ON SEVERAL
PERSONS ARRESTED IN LAS VEGAS. THE CHECKS HAD BEEN FOUND TO BE COUNTERFEIT.
THE POST SAID AGENTS OF THE U.S. JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE SEARCHED
SHISHANI'S HOME IN DETROIT ON THURSDAY NIGHT, THE DAY AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED.
THE POST SAID SHISHANI, WHO WAS CARRYING A U.S. PASSPORT, TOLD THE COURT HE
WAS A SALESMAN WHO HAD EARNED NO COMMISSIONS IN 2002 AND WAS MARRIED TO A
RESIDENT ALIEN FROM JAPAN WHO WORKS FOR NORTHWEST AIRLINES.
U.S. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS TOLD THE POST THAT POSSIBLY HUNDREDS OF
AL-QAEDA AND TALIBAN MEMBERS WHO ESCAPED FROM AFGHANISTAN HAD GONE TO
INDONESIA AND THAT INDONESIA HAD BECOME A HAVEN FOR SUCH TERRORISTS. (END)
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KUNA 201829 Jul 02NNNN