Hemant Lakhani
Encyclopedia
Hemant Lakhani is a British rice trader and sari salesman of Indian origin. He was convicted in 2005 of illegal arms dealing after purchasing a fake surface-to-air missile
from a Russian intelligence agent posing as a disgruntled military officer then attempting to sell that missle to a FBI agent posing as a Somali terrorist.
in 1974. Lakhani and his wife Kusum ran a number of businesses, including an export/import business Multitrade (London) Ltd and Reliance Clothing Company Ltd.
remains unknown, although one of his fellow directors in the Reliance Clothing Company is known to maintain a Moscow
address. He was first noticed by the FSB in March 2003 and his past is presently being investigated by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.
It is thought that he approached the Dyagteryov Arms Factory to purchase the missile after researching the company on the internet. Due to a tip-off from MI6, the FSB agent posed as a representative of the company to sell him a disabled Igla missile.
There is some evidence that MI6 grew interested in him after he made contact with Ukrspetsexport
, an arms company suspected of supplying illegal arms to Iraq
.
In a 2006 article in The Nation
, Christopher Hayes
wrote,
Lakhani's involvement with U.S. government agents and intelligence has been the subject of an episode of the public radio show This American Life
, aired in 2005 and 2009.
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
from a Russian intelligence agent posing as a disgruntled military officer then attempting to sell that missle to a FBI agent posing as a Somali terrorist.
Background
Born in Gujarat Lakhani moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1974. Lakhani and his wife Kusum ran a number of businesses, including an export/import business Multitrade (London) Ltd and Reliance Clothing Company Ltd.
Investigations
The extent of Lakhani's background in RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
remains unknown, although one of his fellow directors in the Reliance Clothing Company is known to maintain a Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
address. He was first noticed by the FSB in March 2003 and his past is presently being investigated by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.
It is thought that he approached the Dyagteryov Arms Factory to purchase the missile after researching the company on the internet. Due to a tip-off from MI6, the FSB agent posed as a representative of the company to sell him a disabled Igla missile.
There is some evidence that MI6 grew interested in him after he made contact with Ukrspetsexport
Ukrspetsexport
Ukrspetsexport a Ukrainian state-owned arms trading company, formed in November 1996 by merging Ukroboronservice and Ukrinmash.Ukrspetsexport not only sells the products of the Ukrainian arms industry, but also the excess weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Army...
, an arms company suspected of supplying illegal arms to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Criticism of American investigation
U.S. government agents were continuously involved with Lakhani's case, many claim to the point of entrapment. It is not clear that Lakhani, before allegedly being convinced by US agents, would have wished to obtain support for terrorism. It is also unclear whether Lakhani could ever have delivered on his promises of illegal arms to a government informant: When Lakhani was unable to obtain a missile, the U.S. government, acting through the intelligence community, provided him with one. Such counterterrorist strategies have been described by legal scholars as window dressing, because they target supposed enemies who are so weak as not to be a threat, and divert resources from addressing real threats.In a 2006 article in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Christopher Hayes
Christopher Hayes (journalist)
Christopher L. "Chris" Hayes is an American broadcaster, journalist and liberal political commentator. Hayes hosts Up with Chris Hayes, a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes had formerly been a frequent guest host and commentator on shows such as The Rachel Maddow Show and...
wrote,
Lakhani's involvement with U.S. government agents and intelligence has been the subject of an episode of the public radio show This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
, aired in 2005 and 2009.
Conviction
Lakhani was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Chris Christie. He was convicted by jury in April 2005 of attempting to provide material support to terrorists, unlawful brokering of foreign defense articles and attempting to import merchandise into the U.S. by means of false statements, plus two counts of money laundering. He was sentenced to 47 years in prison, and his potential release date is in 2044.External links
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4239588.stm
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,1018257,00.html
- http://www.njusao.org/files/la0813_r.htm
- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/6229181?source=Evening%20Standard
- http://www.thislife.org/ra/292.ram
- http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=387