New York Man Arrested For Illegally Exporting Weapons, Jet Fighter Parts, To Malaysia

A U.S. man was arrested Thursday on charges that he illegally exported weapons to a company in Malaysia, including fighter jet parts that were likely to end up in the hands of Iran, federal authorities announced.

Jilani Humayun, 59, was arrested at his home and charged with 11 counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Collectively, the charges carry a potential jail term upon conviction of 150 years in prison.

In papers filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, federal authorities said Humayun formed a company, Vash International Inc., in January 2004 to export defense equipment including tanks, guided missiles and rocket launchers. They said that on 11 separate occasions between January 2004 and May 2006, Humayun used Vash to export to an unidentified company in Malaysia F-5 and F-14 fighter jet parts and Chinook Helicopter parts.

In a release, prosecutors said Humayun admitted to federal agents that he did not know who the "end users" were for the items that were shipped. They said he also admitted that he undervalued the shipments on his export paperwork so that the company could avoid paying Malaysian customs duties.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia said it is well documented in public reports that the sole customer of F-14 parts is the Iranian Air Force. "The details of the crime with which Jilani Humayun is charged are particularly disturbing, as he is alleged to have knowingly shipped technology as dangerous as F-5 and F-14 parts to Malaysia without any regard for the ultimate destination," Garcia said.

Charles W. Beardall, director of the criminal investigative service in the U.S. Department of Defense, called the illegal export of U.S. military technology and weapons "one of the most significant and growing threats to our national security."

Humayun was expected to appear in federal court later Thursday. It was not immediately clear who would represent him. (International Herlad Tribune)

***** Now I wonder to WHOM the unidentified Malaysian company belongs to. Are we a conduit or an unsuspecting victim? Anyone wants to hazard a guess?