Anti-LTTE raids in Melbourne
Director of a business college arrested on FBI’s
request:
Australian Federal Police (AFP) have arrested, at the request of the
FBI, a director of a Melbourne business college believed to be linked to
the Tigers over alleged terrorism offences in the US.
Thulasitharan Santhirarajah, 34, is expected to face extradition
proceedings after his arrest on Monday when AFP agents raided homes and
businesses around Melbourne, including the office of his Melbourne
International College.
The raids were conducted at the request of the FBI, which has been
cracking down on the fundraising activities in the US of members of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
A spokesman for federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland yesterday
confirmed the US had requested that Santhirarajah be detained.
“The man is wanted to face prosecution for alleged terrorism offences
in the United States of America,” the spokesman said. “As this is an
ongoing law enforcement matter, it would be inappropriate to comment on
the specifics of the case.”
Santhirarajah appeared briefly in a Melbourne Magistrates court on
Monday and was remanded in custody until next month.
As well as the city office of the college, AFP agents raided five
properties and businesses in Narre Warren, Dandenong and Lysterfield.
It is understood police questioned some colleagues and business
partners of Santhirarajah, but later released them.
Staff at the college yesterday refused to comment on the raids or
Santhirarajah’s arrest.
Neighbours of Santhirarajah in Narre Warren said they had noticed
unusual activity in their street for some time. Diana Taylor said that
in recent weeks she had seen people setting up what she thought was
undercover surveillance.
Last year in unrelated proceedings, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task
Force in New York arrested the alleged US director of the Tigers.
At the time, the FBI accused Australia’s Tamil community of helping
fund terrorist attacks by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Two Melbourne men, allegedly linked to the Tigers, are awaiting trial
over unrelated alleged terrorism-related offences. They were charged in
2006 with being members of a terrorist organisation, making funds
available to a terrorist organisation and making an asset available to a
proscribed entity.
The Australian
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