Bomb Suspects Got Thousands From German Account : Explosion: Authorities say the development gives weight to the theory that international terrorism may be involved in the fatal blast at World Trade Center in N.Y.

The men suspected of exploding a bomb beneath the World Trade Center received tens of thousands of dollars from a bank account in Germany, giving credence to the theory that the act may have been the work of a sophisticated international terrorist organization, authorities said Thursday.

Officials still have not determined the precise amount of money transferred to the suspects or the identity of the benefactors. Furthermore, they said they believed that the total amounted to less than $100,000--a relatively small sum in comparison to the money a well-funded international terrorist group could afford to spend. And they acknowledged that they had no proof the money was used in connection with the bombing.

Nonetheless, as authorities followed the widening money trail, sources said they were more inclined to support the view publicly expressed by FBI Assistant Director James Fox--that the Feb. 26 bombing was “organized by a large, well-known terrorist group.”

Although the money received by the suspects was wired from a bank in Germany, investigators said they suspect that the funds actually originated elsewhere--possibly Iran or Iraq. In Egypt, a knowledgeable source said, followers of a radical Egyptian cleric whose New Jersey mosque has figured in the bombing case are known to be financed with Iranian money funneled through Sudan.

Three men have been arrested in connection with the investigation, all of them alleged by the FBI to be involved with a radical group that has actively protested last year’s jailing of El Sayyid A. Nosair, who was charged in the 1990 murder in Manhattan of right-wing Jewish leader Meir Kahane. Although acquitted of the killing itself, he was convicted on related weapons charges and sent to Attica State Prison.

The group also has ties to the Egyptian cleric in New Jersey, Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, who has been linked to acts of terrorism in Egypt. Rahman has denied any role in the World Trade Center bombing.

The money was wired to several accounts at the National Westminister Bank branch in Jersey City, N.J., just a few blocks from the mosque where Abdul Rahman’s followers--who reportedly include at least two of the men arrested in the case--frequently worship.

Authorities said the accounts were held jointly and individually by the two principal bombing suspects, Mohammed A. Salameh, 25, and Nidal Ayyad, 25, both of Palestinian descent.

On Wednesday, investigators underestimated how much money the suspects had received from abroad because they were only aware of a single joint account at the time.

Even though the suspects received tens of thousands of dollars, each individual deposit was less than $10,000, sources said. Under federal law, American banks handling transactions of $10,000 or more must report them to the Treasury Department. To skirt the requirement, individuals or groups concerned about detection often break large transfers into smaller amounts.

These transactions provide the first publicly available evidence that those responsible for the bombing may not have been hapless amateurs, as they have sometimes been portrayed. That characterization has stemmed largely from the fact that the suspects apparently made no attempt to hide their identities when they allegedly rented the yellow Ryder truck used to carry explosive materials into the World Trade Center.

One federal law enforcement source close to the investigation said authorities “have never bought off on the theory that this was a bunch of bumblers.” He noted that the chemical formula used to create the explosion was by no means amateurish.

Ayyad, who was arrested Wednesday, holds a college degree in chemical engineering and was employed as a research engineer at AlliedSignal Inc. in Morristown, N.J. Authorities said Salameh telephoned Ayyad at least four times at his office on the day before the bombing.

Although officials say Salameh and Ayyad withdrew most of the money from the Jersey City bank accounts before the bombing, they acknowledged that they as yet have no evidence that would prove the funds were used to buy bomb-making paraphernalia or rent the truck and the storage locker where the chemicals apparently were mixed. The chemicals--urea, nitric acid and sulfuric acid--are widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Family members and defense attorneys have asserted that the suspects are innocent of involvement in the bombing.

The FBI’s search for the origin of the money is only just beginning, sources cautioned.

“If it’s a country with which we have a good relationship, we could get the information in a hurry,” a top federal official said. “If it’s not, we will have to send over our agents to try to follow the trail, especially if it’s a sophisticated cover or money-laundering scheme.”

Meanwhile, Ibrahim A. Elgabrowny, 42, the third man arrested in the case, appeared in court Thursday to request a bail hearing. A cousin of Nosair, Elgabrowny was arrested on charges of resisting a search of his Brooklyn apartment. But prosecutors have said they also suspect that he played a role in the bombing.

Noted attorney William Kunstler, who won acquittal on murder charges for Nosair in 1991, represented Elgabrowny at the hearing. Judge John E. Sprizzo set a hearing March 18 on his request for bail and Assistant U.S. Atty. Henry De Pippo said that before the hearing the government will file additional charges against Elgabrowny.

Kunstler told reporters that Elgabrowny, who owns a small construction company in Brooklyn, holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Port Said in Egypt and assisted with Nosair’s defense as a paralegal.

On Wednesday, federal sources said that Elgabrowny, Ayyad and Salameh had visited Nosair in prison after he was arrested in the Kahane killing. On Thursday, Kahane Chai, followers of the slain militant leader, claimed to have photographs of all three men participating in street demonstrations expressing support for Nosair.

As he was being handcuffed and escorted from the hearing room, Elgabrowny turned to his family and friends in the courtroom and said: “Take care of yourself. Nothing serious.”

In Maplewood, N.J., Ayyad’s uncle, Subhi Badra, vigorously defended the suspect in an interview with The Times. “Tomorrow he will be out (of jail); he has nothing to do with it,” he said. “. . . I am sure he has no connection whatsoever with terrorism.”

He portrayed his 25-year-old nephew as a hard-working family man who had no time for terrorist activities. He said the FBI, with the help of Israeli intelligence, was trying to ruin the suspect’s future.

“He has an explanation,” Badra insisted. “He has all the proof that he has no connection. This guy is working five days at a time. He never left his job. If somebody called him at work, it is not a crime.”

In Amman, Jordan, the Associated Press reported that the families of Ayyad and Salameh had become acquainted since the two young men became friends in New York. Ayyad was born in Kuwait; Salameh was born in Jordan.

Times staff writers Ronald J. Ostrow, Gebe Martinez and John J. Goldman contributed to this story.