Two men extradited to the U.S. from Romania were indicted in a Manhattan federal court on conspiracy to kill United States nationals, officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use antiaircraft missiles and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization.

Tareq Mousa al Ghazi of Lebanon and Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy of Marbella, Spain, were arrested by Romanian authorities in June 2007.  They were arrested on suspicion of working with Monzer al-Kassar, an international arms dealer, to provide weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) – a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization – to kill Americans in Colombia.  Kassar was simultaneously arrested in Spain. 

Ghazi, 60, and Godoy, 58, were extradited to the U.S. in October 16, 2007, and pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.  Currently, the U.S. is also seeking extradition of Kassar from Spain on the same charges.

According to the indictment, Ghazi, Godoy and Kassar agreed to sell a million dollars worth of weapons to FARC, including machine guns, ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and surface-to-air missile systems.

In 2006 and 2007, all three men met with undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents, according to the indictment.  Recorded telephone calls, e-mails and in-person meetings revealed all three men’s intent to use drug proceeds to pay for the weapons deal. 

Kassar has provided weapons and military equipment to armed factions since the early 1970s in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Iran and Iraq. 

This is the first extradition to the U.S. from Romania on terrorism charges.

If convicted, both Ghazi and Godoy face a maximum sentence of life in prison.