A Hindu businessman from Britain was recently found guilty, by a jury at New Jersey District Court in Newark, of attempting to sell missiles to terrorists said to be planning to attack planes in the United States. Hemant Lakhani, 69, from Hendon, North London was also convicted of illegal weapons brokering, two counts of money laundering and for importing merchandise into the US using false statements. He now faces up to 67 years in jail. Lakhani was arrested in August 2003 in an FBI sting after presenting a sample shoulder-fired missile to an informant posing as a member of a Somali terrorist group in a Newark hotel room. He told the agent rockets he was selling could be used to shoot down 10 to 15 aeroplanes simultaneously on the second anniversary of the September 11 terrorist outrage, and offered a further 50 missiles. Lakhani had demanded $5m (£3.1m) for the 50 missiles. Lakhani is also said to have offered to supply anti-aircraft guns, tanks and tons of plastic explosive. He also allegedly claimed he could provide a "dirty bomb" to spread deadly radiation. When Lakhani was arrested, British anti-terrorist police raided two addresses in London - one of which was Lakhani's home. Scotland Yard said the raids were conducted at the request of the FBI. As many as 20 detectives broke down the front door of the semi-detached house in Hendon. Officers also raided another address used by Lakhani nearby. Scotland Yard anti-terrorist officers found catalogues of Soviet-made armaments, tanks and plastic explosive at his home. Following Lakhani's arrest India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said it was investigating Lakhani's background and his links in India. They said: "We are trying to find out more about him. We have no information about him at the moment. We are trying to verify exactly who he is." Almost two years later it is hardly surprising the Indian CBI is silent. Intelligence sources in the UK have said: "It is well known that Indian arms dealers have long been involved in procuring weapons from Russia and the former Soviet Union. New Delhi has traditionally acquired most of its military hardware from Moscow, its ally during the cold war. The role of Indian middlemen in brokering arms deals has come under intense scrutiny before, when a team of investigative journalists uncovered widespread corruption in India's defence ministry several years ago." A source close to British intelligence described Lakhani as a "known arms dealer" who was thought to conduct most of his business with his links in India. He put "feelers" out and "clearly knew who he was selling the missiles to," the source added, making the point that Lakhani would not have been involved in a "blind deal". Lakhani was one of three people arrested following an operation by the FBI, UK and Russian intelligence services. The evidence against him was his own words, which were captured on video tape by the FBI, which were played and replayed to the jury. The FBI taped 150 of Lakhani's conversations. The tapes showed Lakhani saying that Osama Bin Laden did a "good thing" and "straightened them all out". Lakhani said "the Americans are bastards" and suggested the country would be shaken if 15 airliners were shot down. The Federal Court prosecutor stated: "There is no question that Lakhani was sympathetic to the beliefs of the terrorists who were trying to damage our country. He, on many occasions in recorded conversations, referred to Americans as bastards and Osama Bin Laden as a hero." Speaking from jail, he admitted: "Yes, I said those terrible things. But I didn't mean them. I'm a devout Hindu and don't believe in violence." Lakhani - originally from Gujarat in India - was a lawyer when he arrived in London in September 1958. By the late 60s, he owned his own garment business. In 1977, Lakhani claimed to earn £150,000 a year. He drove a Rolls-Royce and met Prince Charles. The late Lady Diana inaugurated a building of Sangam, a local women's organisation, headed by Lakhani's wife. When Lakhani was arrested C B Patel, the London-based publisher of two ethnic weeklies, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, told press that the Gujarati community in London was in a state of shock. He said Lakhani was held in high regard in the Gujarati community and was known as Babubhai. In a desperate attempt to try and save his skin Lakhani was described in court by his own defence as an “idiot” and a “clown” incapable of selling illegal arms. Lakhani's lawyer described his client as a "joke" who "couldn't finish a deal if his life depended on it". However, this strategy failed to impress the jurors and the US courts. Since the conviction the Indian press and intelligence have been down playing the whole matter in an attempt to reduce the fallout and influence the length of the sentence. The only stories being run have had headlines such as, "I don't want to harm the US, I'm a peace loving Hindu". Sadly many readers of this article will realise that some in the Sikh/Panjabi press that have covered this story have been happy to take the pro-India and anti-US line. Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said: "One of the biggest untold stories is that India was in league with the Saddam regime for years in terms of scientific cooperation. Now a prominent Indian businessman has been caught red-handed and convicted of being involved in the most serious terrorist activities against the United States. We urge Sikhs in the US to shout from the roofs about today's conviction in the US of Lakhani. He led a group of Indians, who were selling 50 shoulder-held Russian surface-to-air missiles - the Igla - to be used against US commercial airliners and kill thousands of innocent American civilians on the second anniversary of 9/11. The Igla missile, which has a 4km range and an infrared capability is a deadly weapon. It is an advanced surface-to-air missile, which could have had devastating potential in the hands of terrorists."

Back To Media Library