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The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that a criminal complaint has been unsealed charging four suspects after US naval forces interdicted a vessel in the Arabian Sea that was transporting suspected Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry.
Among the SEALs killed was Marylander Special Operator First Class Christopher J. Chambers, Gov. Wes Moore confirmed following his death.
Those charged:
- Muhammad Pahlawan;
- Mohammad Mazhar;
- Ghufran Ullah;
- Izhar Muhammad.
On Thursday, Jan. 11, prosecutors say that US Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the US Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia.
They reportedly encountered more than a dozen people on board.
During a search of the vessel, court documents state that the boarding team allegedly located and seized what is believed to be Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry.
According to those documents, the "analysis of the advanced conventional weaponry indicates that it includes critical components for medium range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, to include a warhead and propulsion and guidance components.
The weaponry found in the dhow is allegedly consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces in recent attacks on merchant ships and US military ships in the region.
“The flow of missiles and other advanced weaponry from Iran to Houthi rebel forces in Yemen threatens the people and interests of America and our partners in the region,” Deputy AG Lisa Monaco said.
“Two Navy SEALs tragically lost their lives in the operation that thwarted the defendants charged today from allegedly smuggling Iranian-made weapons that the Houthis could have used to target American forces and threaten freedom of navigation and a vital artery for commerce.
The four men and eight of 10 witnesses to the incident made their initial appearances in Virginia on Thursday afternoon.
Pahlawan is charged with intentionally and unlawfully transporting on board the dhow a warhead, knowing the warhead would be used by the Houthi rebel forces against commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters.
“The FBI will aggressively investigate and disrupt the Iranian Government’s attempts to provide Houthi rebels with missile components that are intended for use against US military ships, merchant vessels, and Israel,” FBI Director Christopher Wray stated.
“The (four) in this case allegedly transported suspected Iranian-made missile components for the type of weaponry used by the Houthi rebels in recent attacks."
All four were charged with providing materially false information to US Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the dhow regarding the vessel’s crew and cargo.
Pahlawan faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted of unlawfully transporting a warhead. All four face a max of five years for making false statements.
“As charged, Mr. Pahlawan attempted to smuggle advanced missile components, including a warhead, to Houthi rebels for use against cargo ships and US vessels sailing across the Horn of Africa,” Assistant AG Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division added.
“The Justice Department, together with US agency partners, is working tirelessly to deny malign actors the means to threaten international shipping and imperil the lives of our men and women in uniform.”
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