Leaders of AICP (ALAHBASH) in North America are jailed
Muhammed Al-Arab, a director of Islamic Association of Massachusetts (IAM) and a victim of a March 22, 1997 beating perpetrated by ten members of an Islamic organization known as Associated Islamic Charitable Projects, headquartered in Lebanon but with a North American office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (AICP-AHBASH), announced IAM's responses to comments made by attorneys for the arrested defendants.
The nine men arrest and currently in custody of the Chelsea Police Department forced their entry into the home of the President of IAM Sheikh Ahmad Elarab at 6 P.M. on March 22, 1997, and there and then did violently and physically assault both IAM's President and one of the IAM's directors. One perpetrator has escaped, is still at large, and is armed and dangerous.
The Islamic Association of Massachusetts is a non-profit, non-political organization that was established in 1994 for the purpose of serving the needs of Muslim community.
It was approximately a week after Riad Nachef, President of AICP (Ahbash) in North America, residing in Medina Pennsylvania and AICP members were put on notice by IAM's attorney to cease and desist that they made a brutal attack on IAM's President and his wife, and one of the directors of IAM. Riad Nachef was accompanied by Abdulatif Houssami, president of AICP in Canada who resides in Montreal, Samir Al-Kadi, AICP's "religious" leader, Marwan Housseini, head of AICP in Ottawa, Muhammad Itani of Winthrop, Massachusetts, Helmi Dennaoui of Medford Massachusetts, Bobby Hawthorne of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Ghadi Salem of College Park Maryland. These individuals used handguns and severely and systematically beat IAM's leadership.
Samir Al-Kadi escaped and is still at large and the rest were arraigned in District court on criminal charges on March 24, 1997 and had bail set at $75,000.00 each. In setting bail, Chelsea District Court Judge Eugene Panarese said he found it frightening to know that defendants went to IAM President's home armed and "en masse". "It rings of terrorism" he said.