Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.
In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.
The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in Carmichael, New York City, Maryland, and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.
Neocon Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Inst. says the timing of this potential $500 million dollar heist is just a coincidence but it seems clear that such a move would not have been taken without the approval of the Obama administration in order to bring pressure on Iran.
Can one imagine the government taking a similar action against any orthodox Jewish synagogue or religious organization sending tax-exempt dollars to Israel to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank or East Jerusalem?
