Written by Administrator
Thursday, 24 August 2006
Sriskandarajah along with his Canadian counterparts Sarachandran, Sabaratnam, and Thanigasalam were planning to illegally purchase and smuggle out weapons to LTTE. Six of the nine Canadians and Americans charged appeared in court on Monday and were held without bail. According to CTV reports the arm dealers these LTTE supporters were dealing with were actually under-cover agents working for the FBI.
American authorities allege that these men were traveling to New York from Canada to buy missiles, launchers and AK-47s.
The news also states that these LTTE supporters were planning to buy $900,000 worth military hardware from the black market of NY.
ImageThese men, when questioned by the security officials, have said they were going to attend a bachelor’s party in Buffalo, New York. It is also reported that the suspects were engaged in this sting operation that began more than a year ago and extended it to ten more countries, including Canada. Sriskandarajah, an engineering student of University of Waterloo, has been forcing Tamil students living there to promote LTTE by distributing leaflets hidden in toy teddy bears.
According to FBI special agents’ comments to CTV, as these men were playing a major role in the fund raisings, this arrest would make a significant negative impact on the LTTE campaigns.
Three of these LTTE supporters were arrested in New York on last week Friday (18) and the other one on Monday (21) at Kitchener, Ontario.
Concurrently US government arrested another five American Tamils associated with this banned act. These men were also arrested with multiple charges including fundraising for the banned terrorist oraganisation (LTTE), illegal weapon smuggling and trying to bribe US officials to lift US ban on the LTTE.
Canadian government added the LTTE to its official list of terrorist organizations in April this year and US added to its own list in 1997.
Sriskandharajah appeared on Tuesday in a court in Kitchener, Ontario and scheduled to appear again tomorrow, Friday.
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