Calif. father, son held in al-Qaida investigation

In Washington, President Bush said he had been briefed on the matter.

“I was very impressed by the use of intelligence and the follow-up,” Bush said. “And that’s what the Americans need to know, that when we find any hint about any possible wrongdoing or a possible cell, that we’ll follow up — by the way, honoring the civil liberties of those to whom we follow up.”

Two others held
One law enforcement official told the Times that "these guys have been on the radar for awhile," adding that "this case has more to it than just these two guys."

In fact, two other men, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammed Adil Khan, were being held on immigration violations after meeting separately with Umer Hayat on Saturday, the Bee reported. All four men live in Lodi, about 35 miles south of Sacramento.

Umer Hayat wore a concealed FBI listening device for the meetings, one source told the Bee, an account confirmed by some of his relatives.

Khan is an imam at the Lodi mosque, and Ahmed is a religious leader affiliated with an Islamic center in Sacramento, the Bee and Times reported.

Camp allegedly run by family friend
Umer Hayat was charged in the complaint with lying about his son’s involvement and his own financing of the terrorist camp, which the affidavit said was run by a close friend of Umer Hayat's father.

A female cousin of Hamid Hayat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Times that "the charges are totally false."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Nowinski denied a bail request for the elder Hayat, saying he was “a flight risk and a danger to the community.”

“He just returned from Pakistan where he built a new home and contributed financial assistance to an al-Qaida-sponsored program training his son and others to kill Americans whenever and wherever they can be found,” the Bee quoted Nowinski as saying.

Hamid Hayat’s attorney was not present for the court hearing, and Nowinski set a bail hearing for him on Friday.

Son on 'no fly' list
Hamid Hayat's name was on the U.S. “no fly” list of suspected extremists, the Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee reported, and on returning from Pakistan on May 29 his flight was diverted to Japan, where he was questioned. He was allowed to continue on, and was then questioned in Sacramento by FBI agents.

The affidavit says Umer Hayat gave up denying that he knew of the terrorist training when he was shown a videotape of his son's confession.

FBI agents raided the Hayat home on Tuesday, family members told the Times. They seized videocassettes, photographs, fax machines, prayer books and other items.

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