The six -- Haji Subandi, Reinhard Rusli, Erick Wotulo, Haniffa Bin Osman, Thirinavukarasu Varatharasa and Helmi Soedirdja -- were charged in connection with an alleged plot to smuggle military weaponry through Guam into Indonesia and Sri Lanka for a Sri Lankan rebel group, Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam.

Subandi, Rusli and Soedirdja were indicted after they were caught trying to transport night vision goggles, stowed in luggage on a flight that would have departed later that evening for Indonesia.

Subandi, Wotulo, Bin Osman and Varatharasa were indicted for a case involving the purchase of a variety of weapons and ammunition including surface-to-air missile launchers and sniper rifles.

The alleged arms buyers were attempting to purchase and transport $900,000 worth of black-market military weaponry.

The men were charged with conspiracy to export arms and ammunition, attempted export of arms and ammunition, money laundering, and aiding and abetting.

This week in court all six agreed to being tried in the states after waiving their identity hearings.

Both plots had been discovered prior to the men arriving on Guam late last month by federal authorities in Maryland.

About a month ago local authorities had been notified about the plots by federal agents who had predetermined Guam would be the transfer point for the cache of weapons, according to Homeland Security Adviser for Guam Frank Blas Jr.

The men will be held at the federal detention facility in Hagåtña until they are transported to Maryland, where they have already been indicted with identical charges.

The move, Federal Public Defender John Gorman said, will most likely happen within the next week.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed