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Keith McCord ReportingA Utah man, whose brother is currently held in Iraq for possibly having ties to terrorist groups, was in federal court this morning, facing a four-count indictment.
Thirty-seven-year old Sharif Omar was arrested yesterday at his Salt Lake County home. He faces charges of bank fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say money was sent to the Middle East and they want to know why.
Sharif Omar is one of five people rounded up by federal agents yesterday; the others were arrested in California. All are related to Omar's brother, Shawqi Omar, who is a suspected al Qaida operative. He's currently held in Iraq, charged with being an enemy combatant. He lived in Utah in the 80's and went to Utah State.
Sharif Omar and the others are charged with criminal activity, which has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some of that money--50-thousand dollars-- was sent to Amman, Jordan.
The FBI says in any counter-terrorism investigation, they always look for methods of funding. The five men arrested yesterday aren't accused of supporting terrorism, but their relationship with the man in Iraq and the money involved does raise a red flag.
Timothy Fuhrman, FBI Special Agent in Charge: "We realize that you could not only have potential cells of individuals potentially planning or plotting activities to occur here in the United States, but they could be providing information or support to individuals overseas."
Sharif Omar pleaded not guilty to the four counts against him in court this morning. He was released and his trial was set for June 26th.
