WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (AFP) - Two people were arrested following a raid on an Albany, New York mosque late Wednesday, wrapping up a sting operation involving the attempted purchase of a shoulder-fired missile.
New York Governor George Pataki said Thursday that the raid on the mosque and two local residences ended a year-long investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which combines federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Pataki said he was not aware of any connection between the arrests and the recent heightened terror alert regarding possible attacks on financial institutions in New York, New Jersey and Washington.
Unidentified officials cited by US television networks said the two detained men had agreed to launder money to help a presumed terrorist -- actually an undercover FBI agent -- buy a shoulder-fired missile.
The two men, who could be charged with material support of terrorist activities, were believed to be 34-year-old Yassin Aref, the mosque`s imam, and Mohammed Hoosain, 49, a member of the mosque.
The Justice Department was to hold a press conference on the investigation in Washington later Thursday.
"The fact is there are terrorists among us who want to engage in acts to attack us again and take away our freedoms," Pataki told reporters in Albany.
"We will continue to be aggressive and pro-active in going after those who would look to do us harm," he added.
The Albany case carried echoes of a similar operation last year in New Jersey, where a British arms dealer was arrested for trying to sell a shoulder-fired missile to an undercover agent posing as a terrorist.
US officials announced Sunday that al-Qaeda was targeting the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington, as well as the New York Stock Exchange and other financial institutions.
In response, authorities raised the color-coded terror alert level from yellow, or "elevated," to orange, or "high," for New York, Washington and Newark, New Jersey, and boosted security around the targeted areas.