"We don't know if we have an identity-theft issue; we don't know if we have a money-laundering issue, or a terrorist connection." By Simone Weichselbaum in the Philadelphia Daily News, with thanks to Kemaste:
Something about the chubby middle-aged man didn't sit right with eagle-eyed employees at the Commerce Bank in Drexel Hill on Wednesday.The customer called himself Shahid Batti and pulled out a New Jersey driver's license, a Social Security card and a Pakistani passport, all printed with his given name.
But bank employees thought the identifications looked fake - and it was the second time in just a few hours that the man wanted to withdraw thousands of dollars from the Batti account.
So the bank called the cops, and officers whisked the man off for questioning.
Last night, Upper Darby police were trying to come to grips with a strange case - one that quickly became twisted with post-9/11 suspicions.
As of yesterday, Upper Darby Superintendent Michael Chitwood said his investigators believe that the man with the Shahid Batti ID cards is Raza Hussain, 44, from Brooklyn.
While local and FBI officials sort out the man's real identity and his motives for living as Shahid Batti, the Commerce Bank customer is sitting in a Delaware County jail cell and has not posted the $100,000 bail, Chitwood said.
Hussain - if that indeed is his real name - is charged with theft, forgery, identity theft and related crimes. Police aren't even sure if Hussain and Batti are different people or the same man.
"There are a lot of red flags here," Chitwood said. "We don't know if we have an identity-theft issue; we don't know if we have a money-laundering issue, or a terrorist connection."...
His home looks like a mosque, with Islamic characters lining the walls, she said.
On Wednesday at about 2:40 p.m. the case broke.
A Commerce Bank employee called police to report a "Pakistani male attempting to withdraw $9,700... from an account under the same of Shahid Batti," court records said.
Earlier that day, "the defendant withdrew $8,700" from the Batti account, records stated.
The man's request of $9,700 was denied because "of the differing photographs on the defendant's photographic IDs," records said.
Also, the Pakistani passport's insert covers "had been glued down with a different cover. The binding and stiching had been disassembled and appeared to have a new insert glued on," according to case records.
The Social Security card "was observed to have the seal of the 'Dept. Health and Human Services,' and not the legitimate seal of the Social Security Administration," records said. And the N.J. license did not appear to have the "normal hologram."...
But FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said Hussain "is not on the FBI terrorist-watch list, and has no known ties to terrorists. The Philadelphia FBI will continute their investigation to determine his true identity."
"His home looks like a mosque, with Islamic characters lining the walls, she said.
...................
"But FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams said Hussain 'is not on the FBI terrorist-watch list, and has no known ties to terrorists.'"
--- from the article above
What is it that might make irrelevant the observation that Hussain "has no known ties to terrorists"?
"and has no known ties to terrorists."
When will we learn that Muslims such as Hussain have a known "tie" to at least one major terrorist -- Prophet Mohammed?
Nah-he's an honest fellow. Why pick on him because he wants his money? That's what CAIR no doubt will say.
I wonder if he's connected to that Brooklyn mosque that had Lynne Stewart's boyfriend from Egypt at one time?
"There are a lot of red flags here," Chitwood said. "We don't know if we have an identity-theft issue; we don't know if we have a money-laundering issue, or a terrorist connection."...
Like any one of these precludes any of the others in the list. It is quite conceiveable that all three apply here. The only unknown is what he needed all that cash for.
I'm glad the bank employees listened to their instinct (and years of experience) and did something.
Probably the bank employees will end up being chastised and have to take more sensitivity training. It's getting so a terrorist wannabe can't use forged documents anymore...sheeesh!
Shahid? Doesn't that mean martyr?
Bank clerks, utility repairmen,postal workers, regular people walking dogs in the morning and evening... we all need to be vigilant.
Shahid? Doesn't that mean martyr?
Posted by: JadeDragoness
Yep allahu akbhar. Inshallah
Remember the young Muslim males, caught earlier this year, with over 1000 untraceable cell phones and thousands of dollars in cash?
They were released with no charges after a brief "investigation" turned up a lack of evidence of terrorism ties.
It will be interesting to monitor this incident to see if it's resolved similarly.
". . . has no known ties to terrorists."
Well, duh! Also has no known ties to this account, no known ties to a real job, no known ties to a confirmed street address, no known ties to a genuine driver's license, no known ties to a local family, no known ties to a genuine passport, no known ties to a real birth certificate, no known ties to anything.
In other words, just a plain old innocent jihadist.
Another fine example of an islamic brainiac.
Good thing it was a barclays bank they would raise an eyebrow