Suspected Arms Dealer Tied to Terror Plot

A suspected arms dealer accused of supporting terrorists in a missile-smuggling plot also offered to deliver tanks, anti-aircraft guns and a radioactive “dirty bomb,” prosecutors said after the man was indicted Thursday.

Hemant S. Lakhani also offered to broker a deal for several tons of C-4 explosive, according to the federal indictment.

Lakhani, 68, an Indian-born British citizen, has been held without bail since his arrest in August following a sting operation.

His lawyer, Henry E. Klingeman, said his client is not a terrorist and has no history of illegal arms trafficking. Klingeman added that Lakhani had no ability to obtain a “dirty bomb” or the military equipment. Dirty bomb is the term used by law enforcement officials to refer to an unconventional device designed to spread radioactive or chemical agents.

“The plot constituting the government’s case was conceived, planned and executed by government agents. Mr. Lakhani was set up by a paid informant and induced to participate,” Klingeman said.

Prosecutors say more than 150 covertly recorded conversations prove that Lakhani was trying to deal arms to terrorists.

One video taken minutes before Lakhani’s arrest shows him handling an anti-aircraft missile in a hotel near Newark airport, U.S. Atty. Christopher J. Christie said. He added that Lakhani believed he was obtaining the weapon for a man representing a Somali terrorist group.

The shoulder-fired missile was a fake, provided by undercover Russian agents working with the FBI.