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By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Writer


New York (AP) - A New York man was arrested Wednesday on charges
that he unwittingly funded a Connecticut man's attempt to bomb
Times Square on May 1 by providing unlicensed banking services, an
arrest that continues an effort by federal authorities to reduce
the illegal flow of money that can finance terrorism.


      Mohammad Younis, 44, was accused in an indictment in U.S.
District Court in Manhattan of engaging in hawala activities, an
informal banking system which relies on wire transfers, couriers
and overnight mail. He was arrested at his Long Island home and
brought to the courthouse, where he was expected to make an initial
appearance. It was not immediately clear who would represent him in
court.

      A release issued by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Younis
provided thousands of dollars in cash on April 10 to two
individuals who traveled from Connecticut and New Jersey to meet
him on Long Island at the direction of a coconspirator in Pakistan.
Authorities said one of the individuals was Faisal Shahzad, who has
pleaded guilty to 10 terrorism and weapons counts in connection
with the attempted bombing. He is awaiting sentencing.


      The release said there were no allegations that Younis was aware
of the intended use of the funds.


      "By engaging in the alleged conduct, Mohammad Younis
unwittingly funded a terror plot that, if successful, would have
caused mass casualties in New York City," Bharara said. "These
charges remind us how international terrorists use the cover of
informal money transfer systems to avoid detection and to inflict
catastrophic harm."


      Younis was charged with conducting an unlicensed money
transmitting business between Pakistan and the United States and
conspiracy to do so. Both charges carry a potential of up to five
years in prison.


      Shahzad, a former U.S.-trained financial analyst, pleaded guilty
on June 21. He acknowledged during the plea receiving a cash
payment in April in the United States to fund his preparations, and
he said it was arranged in Pakistan by associates of the
Tehrik-e-Taliban, the militant extremist group based in Pakistan
that trained Shahzad to use explosives.


      Shahzad was arrested two days after his bomb in the back of a
sport utility vehicle on a warm Saturday night sputtered but never
ignited, catching the eye of a street vendor who alerted police
nearby.


      "I consider myself ... a Muslim soldier," Shahzad said as he
pleaded guilty. He added that he chose to try to set off his bomb
when he knew Times Square would be packed with tourists, making it
likely he would kill or injure many people.


      He said then that he conspired with the Pakistan Taliban, which
provided more than $15,000 to fund his operation and five days of
explosives training late last year and early this year, just months
after he became a U.S. citizen.
      

Gallery

Times Square car bomb suspect pleads guilty in NYC

NYC car bomb suspect faces terror, weapons hearing

3 Pakistani men held in Times Square investigation

White House says Pakistan Taliban behind NY bomb

NY car bomb suspect cooperates, but motive mystery

NYC bomb suspect nabbed aboard Dubai-bound plane

Crime, Law and Justice

The arrest continues a federal effort to reduce the illegal flow of money that can finance terrorism.

Man charged with funding Times Square bomber

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