As chief of facilities for D.C. public schools, Kifah W. Jayyousi oversaw painting, toilet repairs and other mundane upgrades to aging buildings. But federal agents now say the engineer had a secret life, as a member of a nationwide network that raised money and recruited Islamic militants for conflicts in Bosnia, Chechnya and other places.
Jayyousi, 43, was ordered held without bond yesterday in U.S. District Court in Detroit on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and to commit violent acts abroad, officials said. His attorney, William Swor, said Jayyousi simply raised money for charitable activities and plans to plead innocent to the charges.
Jayyousi, who held the D.C. schools job from 1999 to 2001, was arrested Sunday at Detroit International Airport when he arrived on an overseas flight, according to FBI officials. An FBI affidavit suggests that the Jordanian-born U.S. citizen had been under surveillance by federal agents since the mid-1990s, including at least part of the time he worked for the school system.
D.C. officials hired Jayyousi from the Detroit school system. There is no indication that federal authorities shared their suspicions about him with District officials, and those who worked with the former facilities chief said yesterday they were shocked by the allegations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13680-2005Mar30.html
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