2 Canadians linked to slain Detroit imam granted bail by Ontario judge

Associated Press

Last update: November 6, 2009 - 7:02 PM

WINDSOR, Ontario - A judge on Friday granted bail for two Canadian men who face extradition to the U.S. on charges linked to the slain leader of a radical Detroit-area Islamic group.

Mohammad Al-Sahli, 33, was granted bail of 300,000 Canadian dollars ($280,000), while Yassir Ali Khan, 30, was granted bail of CA$260,000 ($242,000). The men were also placed under partial house arrest and must report weekly to police.

The conditions were negotiated behind closed doors after a large number of Muslim community members showed up at the courthouse to support the men.

A Detroit imam, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, was killed on Oct. 28 when FBI agents attempted to arrest him on charges of conspiracy to sell stolen goods.

The two men were arrested by Canadian police across the border in Windsor last month after the FBI named them in a criminal complaint on charges of conspiracy to sell stolen goods.

The FBI has alleged that Abdullah espoused violence and sought to establish an Islamic state within the United States, a claim his mosque calls preposterous. Most members of the group are black Muslims.

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