Men Linked to Tamil Tigers Arrested for Attempted Bribery of Federal Officials

A sting operation netted several men linked to Sri Lankan terrorists who hoped a bribe would get their group, the Tamil Tigers, removed from the federal government’s list of terrorist organizations, law enforcement officials announced yesterday.By yesterday afternoon, 13 men linked to the Tamil Tigers had been taken into custody for the alleged bribery conspiracy and another plot. In the second scheme, several liaisons to the terrorist organization allegedly sought to purchase missiles that could down Sri Lankan government jets, which have conducted airstrikes on positions held by the Tamil Tigers in recent weeks as fighting there has escalated.The men arrested in both sting operations are being held without bail. Several of the defendants were in close communication with top members of the terrorist organization in Sri Lanka, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn yesterday.“The multi-faceted scheme by members and supporters of the Sri Lankan organization known as the Tamil Tigers demonstrates the need for continued vigilance in the global war against terrorism,” Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in an e-mailed statement. “These defendants allegedly sought to obtain, through a variety of means, weapons and materials to carry out a deadly campaign of violence.”In the bribery sting operation, law enforcement officers posing as corrupt State Department officials met with several liaisons to the Tamil Tigers at a Staten Island residence belonging to a police informant, according to a criminal complaint. During the meetings, which began in September 2004 and took place as recently as February of this year, the representatives of the Tamil Tigers sought to learn how much it would cost to bribe officials to remove the organization from the State Department’s list of terror organizations, according to the complaint. One defendant, Nachimuthu Socrates, 54, cut a $500 check and provided $5,000 in cash to the undercover agents as a down payment, the complaint alleges.It is a crime for American citizens to make contributions, or in any way assist, an organization that the government has named a terrorist group. The State Department placed the Tamil Tigers on the list in 1997.One of the defendants, Murugesu Vinayagamoorthy, 57, said the head of the Tamil Tigers would not be willing to spend more than $1 million to have the group removed from the list.Mr. Vinayagamoorthy was one of six men in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn yesterday to be arraigned on charges relating to the two sting operations. His attorney, Joseph Kilada, said both Mr. Vinayagamoorthy and his wife are medical doctors in London.“I could quantify him as a political activist,” Mr. Kilada said of his client, but declined to provide further detail.Mr. Vinayagamoorthy allegedly told the undercover officers that the Tamil Tigers would be willing to use suicide bombers in the future, as they have in the past. According to the complaint, he said, during a September 29, 2005, meeting in Staten Island, “I feel I have to mention … in the event of war happening, I think it is inevitable that suicide bombing will be used.”Prosecutors allege the liaisons also sought to purchase classified documents, and were willing to provide an official with an annual salary of $50,000 to be kept abreast of State Department developments, according to the complaint.The second sting operation — which involved discussions of weapon purchases — involved a different set of defendants, one of whom has not yet been arrested. Prosecutors had arrested three men in Long Island on Saturday afternoon after they attempted to negotiate the purchase of shoulder-fired missiles and AK–47 rifles with two undercover law enforcement agents, according to the complaint. The men had crossed the border with Canada, where they told a customs official that they planned to attend a friend’s bachelor party in Buffalo, according to the complaint.The court papers filed by prosecutors claim that the Tamil Tigers have an active arm of international liaisons in North America and elsewhere devoted to procuring weaponry and equipment for fighting in Sri Lanka.The defendants face sentences of up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

Men Linked to Tamil Tigers Arrested for Attempted Bribery of Federal Officials

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