Authorities arrest man with fake checks

DETROIT -- A man charged with smuggling $12 million in bogus cashiers checks into the United States told agents the man named on the checks may belong to al-Qaida, authorities said Wednesday.\nOmar Shishani, 47, also told investigators during an interview that "if you want to know about terrorism, I can help you with that," Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Straus said during a hearing.\nDefense attorney Nabih Ayad denied his client ever made such statements.\nShishani, who was born in Jordan but is of Chechen descent, was arrested last week after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a flight from Indonesia. He was jailed without bond July 17 after pleading innocent to possession of counterfeit securities and smuggling merchandise into the United States. He faces up to 15 years in prison.\nAuthorities say they found nine phony cashiers checks during a search of Shishani's bags. Six were dated June 10, 2002, and made payable to "Baharuddin Masse," the indictment said. The other checks were dated Sept. 3, Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, 2002.\nAuthorities also found a piece of paper with Arabic writing that appeared to be verses from the Quran, some of which Straus said were suggestive of "cataclysmic or apocalyptic events."\nShishani told agents he believes Masse may belong to al-Qaida, has made pro- al-Qaida statements and named his daughter al-Qaida, Straus said.\nThe suspect's attorney said Shishani only said the part about the girl.\nTwo of the checks were for $5 million each; two were for $500,000 each; and five were for $200,000 each, the affidavit said. The checks, labeled "cashier check," were purportedly issued by the Pomona, Calif., branch of West America Bank.\nThere is no Pomona branch of the bank, Secret Service agent Clarence T. Laster said in the affidavit.\nShishani emigrated to the United States in 1979, where he married. He became a U.S. citizen in 1989, his lawyer said. From 1974-1976, Shishani served with the Jordan intelligence service, receiving instruction in spy craft and counter-surveillance techniques, court documents show.\nAyad described Shishani as a broker who went to Indonesia to work on a deal with Masse, also a broker. The deal fell through, Ayad said, and Shishani was instructed to return with the checks.\nShishani didn't know the checks were fraudulent and didn't bring them to Indonesia, Ayad said. He said they originated with a man in California whom Ayad would not identify.\nShishani told federal authorities that he has not closed a deal in four years. Shishani's family in Jordan says Shishani is simply a wealthy computer salesman who has no links to terrorism.\nAuthorities searched Shishani's home in nearby Dearborn. Straus said several financial documents were seized, including a December 2000 statement indicating Shishani had roughly $36.5 million, much of that in jewelry and artwork.\nHis attorney said that the statement is false and that his client is not wealthy. Shishani briefly ran a business in Detroit in the mid-1990s dealing with computers, Ayad said.