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Washington (CNN) - Federal agents Tuesday arrested the director of an Illinois-based charity whom they accuse of direct links to Osama bin Laden, and charged him with lying about links to international terrorism.
Federal officials in Washington said Enaam Arnaout, Executive Director of Benevolence International Foundation (BIF) was taken into custody and charged with perjury.
Aranout is also known as "Abu Mahmoud" and "Abdel Samia", officials said.
Arnaout, 39, is a Syrian-born naturalized U.S. citizen. He is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate at 2 p.m.
Justice Department and FBI officials have scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference to announce the charges.
The charges allege that Arnaout made false statements under oath in documents filed during the past month in a civil lawsuit his organization has filed against various government officials.
A 35-page affidavit supporting the charges was released by the Justice Department Tuesday.
The documents say that Arnaout has
a relationship with Osama bin Landen and many of his key associates dating
back more than a decade. The document cites a cooperating witness who declared
BIF was used by al Qaeda for logistical support, including the movement
of money to fund its operations.
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