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BATF arrests firearms dealer for "illegally transf
Josey1
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Agents arrest man whose firearms were recovered at home of podiatrist charged in plot against Islamics
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press
Posted September 26 2002, 1:17 PM EDT
TAMPA -- Federal authorities charged a man who they say owned five of the high-powered firearms recovered at the home of a podiatrist accused of plotting to blow up Islamic mosques and centers around the state.
Samuel Valiant Shannahan of Dunedin was arrested Wednesday night by agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and charged with illegally transferring firearms, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court in Tampa on Thursday.
Shannahan was first questioned by investigators on Aug. 23, the day Robert Goldstein was arrested. Police say the Seminole podiatrist had drawn up plans to destroy an Islamic education center and dozens of mosques.
Detailed, written plans referred to a ``Val.'' Shannahan, a federally licensed firearms dealer, told investigators he didn't know why he was named in Goldstein's document.
Shannahan's home number rang unanswered Thursday. A first court appearance was scheduled at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Thomas McCoun III.
Goldstein, 37, was charged last month with possessing a non-registered destructive device and attempting to use explosives to damage Islamic centers. The explosives were found in his townhouse the St. Petersburg suburb of Seminole, police said.
Deputies found more than 30 explosive devices, including hand grenades and a cache of up to 40 licensed weapons, at Goldstein's home last month. They also found a list of about 50 Islamic worship centers in the state and a detailed plan for bombing an undisclosed Islamic education center.
Goldstein could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. His attorney, Myles Malman, has said Goldstein has a history of emotional disturbance and is on five medications, including Valium.
Shannahan told investigators he and Goldstein met at a gun show several years ago and that Goldstein has been a friend and customer of his since then, according to the complaint.
The weapons registered to Shannahan and found at the Goldstein residence included three automatic machine guns and two silencers.
Shannahan also was charged with illegal transfer of an UZI submachine gun recovered from a Port Richey firing range. The owner told agents that Shannahan kept the weapon there and rented it to people who wanted to fire it at the range, the complaint said.
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MORE HEADLINES
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-924islamic,0,7573657.story?coll=sfla-news-florida
Copyright c 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press
Posted September 26 2002, 1:17 PM EDT
TAMPA -- Federal authorities charged a man who they say owned five of the high-powered firearms recovered at the home of a podiatrist accused of plotting to blow up Islamic mosques and centers around the state.
Samuel Valiant Shannahan of Dunedin was arrested Wednesday night by agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and charged with illegally transferring firearms, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court in Tampa on Thursday.
Shannahan was first questioned by investigators on Aug. 23, the day Robert Goldstein was arrested. Police say the Seminole podiatrist had drawn up plans to destroy an Islamic education center and dozens of mosques.
Detailed, written plans referred to a ``Val.'' Shannahan, a federally licensed firearms dealer, told investigators he didn't know why he was named in Goldstein's document.
Shannahan's home number rang unanswered Thursday. A first court appearance was scheduled at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Thomas McCoun III.
Goldstein, 37, was charged last month with possessing a non-registered destructive device and attempting to use explosives to damage Islamic centers. The explosives were found in his townhouse the St. Petersburg suburb of Seminole, police said.
Deputies found more than 30 explosive devices, including hand grenades and a cache of up to 40 licensed weapons, at Goldstein's home last month. They also found a list of about 50 Islamic worship centers in the state and a detailed plan for bombing an undisclosed Islamic education center.
Goldstein could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. His attorney, Myles Malman, has said Goldstein has a history of emotional disturbance and is on five medications, including Valium.
Shannahan told investigators he and Goldstein met at a gun show several years ago and that Goldstein has been a friend and customer of his since then, according to the complaint.
The weapons registered to Shannahan and found at the Goldstein residence included three automatic machine guns and two silencers.
Shannahan also was charged with illegal transfer of an UZI submachine gun recovered from a Port Richey firing range. The owner told agents that Shannahan kept the weapon there and rented it to people who wanted to fire it at the range, the complaint said.
Email story
Print story
MORE HEADLINES
McBride, Bush face off in first televised debate tonight
Bush, McBride camps spar over cutting of jobs
Accusations fly on eve of first gubernatorial debate
Isidore's rain spreads northward; Louisiana seeks federal disaster aid for cleanup
Florida Chamber opposes referendum that would limit class sizes
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-924islamic,0,7573657.story?coll=sfla-news-florida
Copyright c 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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It's not what you know that gets you in trouble, it's what you know that just ain't so!