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An Islamic leader and two other people from Kentucky were arrested and charged in a killing plot.
Mahmoud Shalash, leader of the Lexington Islamic Center, John Sadiqullah and Abdul Hadi are charged in federal court with using interstate facilities for murder and conspiracy.
The three men's lawyers did not respond to e-mails asking for comments on Sunday.
Police affidavits filed last week in federal court state the following: An informant posing as an influential man met Shalash for the first time in March at a Lexington motel. Shalash told the informant that a person – designated as "No. 1 victim" by the court, owed him $ 80,000 and that Shalash wanted to get his money back.
When the informant asked if Shalash wanted the legs of the No. 1 victim to be broken, Shalash first answered "no," but then agreed. At a subsequent meeting, Shalash told the informant, "Do whatever you have to do to get my money back," say the affidavits.
Shalash also introduced the informant to John Sadiqullah, who thought that a person – referred to as "No. 2 victim" in the court documents – had cheated on a case. Sadiqullah told the informant, "I want him dead."
At one point, the informant suggested that Shalash provide a fatwa, or legal Islamic statement, authorizing the murder, and Shalash and Sadiqullah agreed.
A third man, Abdul Hadi, ran a separate business with victim # 2. Hadi gave the man $ 20,000 for a partnership in a trucking company. The company failed and Hadi thought the No. 2 victim owed him the money.
At one point, Hadi, Sadiqullah and another man found the No. 2 victim in his company in Lexington, and Sadiqullah called the informant to ask him to come in force for the victim # 2 to give them money.
The Lexington Islamic Center has posted on its website a statement stating that "the Lexington Muslims are shocked to hear the news of the arrest of Imam Mahmoud Shalash. The situation is in and we do not have enough details at the moment, and we believe that every American citizen is innocent until proven guilty by a court. "
"We would like to emphasize that Islam is a religion based on peace and tolerance.Killing or hiring for murder is considered in the Qur'an as a serious sin."
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Information provided by: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com
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