Houston mosque seized

The entrance to the Piaget skyscraper in New York yesterday. As part of its claim the U. The storey skyscraper in New York, known as the Piaget building, was erected in the s on Manhattan's posh Fifth Avenue.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centres consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than acres of land in Virginia; and a story glass office tower in New York.

The mosques and the skyscraper will remain open while the case is tangled up in the courts. It is expected to be a long legal process. What will happen to them if the government wins is unclear. The U. Prosecutors claim the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on behalf of the Iranian government.

Working with a front company known as Assa Corp. Bank Melli has been accused by a U. Treasury official of providing support for Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It is illegal in the U. A page complaint includes details of the involvement of several top Iranian officials in the Foundation's business - including the deputy prime minister and ambassadors to the United Nations. The skyscraper in New York, known as the Piaget building, was erected in the s on Manhattan's posh Fifth Avenue under the shah of Iran.

The shah was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution of Federal authorities have moved to seize this Islamic Education Centre - a primary school and mosque - in Houston. Rents collected from the building help fund the Islamic centres and other ventures, such as sending educational books and other literature to jailed Muslims in the U.

The foundation has also invested in dozens of mosques around the country and supported Iranian academics at prominent universities.

If federal prosecutors seize the skyscraper, the Alavi Foundation would have almost no way to continue supporting the Islamic centres, which house schools and mosques. That could leave a major void in Shiite communities, and hard feelings toward the FBI, which played a big role in the investigation.

Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U. Moore told investigators he was the last person to leave the mosque and saw no smoke or other signs of fire when he left.

He had returned to the scene after hearing about the fire from a friend. Using surveillance video from multiple businesses nearby, investigators were able to identify Moore, according to records. A search warrant of his home was conducted, in which investigators recovered a backpack and clothing that seemingly matched that which was seen in surveillance footage, as well as one half of a two-pack of charcoal lighter fluid bottles that seemed to match another lighter fluid bottle found inside the mosque.

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise in the United States, stoked by recent Islamic State-related attacks in France and California and anti-Muslim statements by Republican presidential hopefuls. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which tracks such incidents, said the scale of vandalism, damage and intimidation at American mosques this year is the worst in the six years it has kept records.

Will Trump claim credit for this, too? Formed over a decade ago, the center has about members, and children are in its K school, leaders said. Hundreds of non-members also come to pray. Its membership is diverse, although many have Pakistani and Indian roots. The center is a special gathering place for Houston's Shia Muslims, who believe that Islam's leaders should be descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Ten to 15 percent of the thousands of Muslims in the Houston area consider themselves Shia, and the center is host to one of the area's largest Shia mosques. For now, center members said, life must go on, although they're staying in close contact with their attorney. On Friday, Floyd said it would take time to sift through the complex situation.

He said he had fielded an apology from a government prosecutor who fretted that talk of mosque seizures could create a backlash against the community. Muslims always feel they're on the defensive.

Abdulghani added that he's worried about the consequences for his community and his children. Hussein Abdi said he moved to the U. He came Thursday to pray. IEC serves as a place of worship, celebration, community programs and study, according to the center's Web site.

Its premises are occupied by one of Houston's largest Shia mosques and the Al Hadi School of Accelerative Learning , a full-time private Islamic school for kindergarten through 12th grade. Staff writer Terri Langford contributed to this report.