Tell FBI Pakistan camp taught ways to attack U.S. financial, government sites
A father and son being held in a terror probe focused on the agricultural town of Lodi told the FBI that six other men from the area attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, according to classified documents obtained by a newspaper.
Hamid Hayat, 22, and his father, Umer, 47, both U.S. citizens, are charged with lying to federal investigators about the younger man's time at an al-Qaida-linked camp in 2003 and 2004. Their arrests are part of an investigation in Lodi that also led to immigration charges against two Muslim religious leaders and a son of one of the leaders.
The father and son first denied any connection to the camp before cooperating with authorities, according to court records. The FBI says Umer Hayat admitted paying for his son's flight to Pakistan and for the camp, which was run by the friend of Umer Hayat's father-in-law.
The pair also told investigators that six others attended the camp, according to federal court documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee. There they were trained to target financial institutions and government buildings in the United States, according to the documents.
The newspaper's report contained no details about who the six people might be or their possible connections to Lodi, an agricultural town about 35 miles south of Sacramento.
Most court documents related to the case remain under seal and away from public view.
Spokeswomen for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office declined comment, as did Hamid Hayat's attorney, Wazhma Mojaddidi. Attorneys for Umer Hayat and the two religious leaders did not immediately return telephone messages left Friday.
The Hayats have pleaded not guilty.
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