Muslim Groups Angered By Raids
Islamic groups say they are outraged that federal agents were sent to search their homes and businesses looking for evidence of terrorist activity.
"The Muslim community is deeply concerned about what appears to be a fishing expedition by federal authorities using McCarthy-like tactics in a search for evidence of wrongdoing that does not exist," Jason Erb, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Thursday.
The searches Wednesday by 150 law enforcers from several federal agencies were part of an effort coordinated by the Treasury Department to cut terrorists off from their funding. The Customs Service said 14 search warrants were executed in northern Virginia and one was used in Georgia, but no arrests were made.
One woman whose Herndon, Va., home was raided described men breaking through her door, pointing a gun at her 19-year-old daughter as she tried to call 911 and handcuffing them for three hours.
"My daughter and I are citizens of good standing," Aysha Unus said. "We feel the system has humiliated us."
Laura Jaghlit, a high school English teacher from Fairfax Station, Va., described the raid on her home as "the most un-American thing I have ever seen."
Officials rifled through photos of her children, threw the contents of her drawers on the bed and took her family's computer, credit cards, passports and bank account information, Jaghlit said.
Customs would not provide information on which homes and businesses were searched, saying that affidavits filed in support of the search warrants were under seal in federal court.
"The search warrants executed yesterday by Operation Green Quest were approved by a federal magistrate who found that there was probable cause to conduct these searches," said Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the agency.
The Muslim groups said they opposed terrorism and accused the Bush administration of unfairly targeting their community.