: 1156617215

In hopes of changing the federal government’s attitude toward their cause, members of the Sri Lankan terror organization the Tamil Tigers came to Queens this summer to sway government opinion and to purchase weapons.

According to complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, eight foreign nationals were charged with multiple crimes, including conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Four of them had traveled from Canada to Queens to purchase hand-held missiles and assault rifles from undercover federal agents posing as arms dealers.

Also, the members of the Tamil Tigers, officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are charged with providing material support to terrorists, including “the procurement of military equipment and dual use technology, fund raising, and money laundering through “front” charitable organizations and U.S. bank accounts,” according to U.S. Dept. of Justice spokesman Bob Nardoza.

The defendants attempted to obtain classified information, conspired to bribe U.S. public officials in an effort to remove the Tigers from the U.S. State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, and dealt in illegal financial transactions with Tigers, Nardoza said.

“The multi-faceted scheme…demonstrates the need for continued vigilance in the global war against terrorists,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “These defendants allegedly sought to obtain, through a variety of means, weapons and materials to carry out a deadly campaign of violence. We will use every tool in our power to disrupt the activities of those who seek to harm others, both here and abroad.”

According to Nardoza, a confidential informant received a telephone call from Tamil Tigers supporter Nadarasa Yogarasa (Yoga). Yoga believed that the informant had a relationship with a black market arms dealer who could acquire heavy military artillery, including missiles. On July 31 Yoga met with the informant and Sathajhan Sarachandran (Satha), a Tiger supporter, met at an undisclosed Queens location and discussed the types of weapons he wanted to purchase, specifically, surface-to-air missiles to be used against Israeli-made Kfir fighter jet aircraft used by the Sri Lankan military.

Satha told the informant that he was taking direction from Pottu Amman, who handled “outside purchasing” of arms, Nardoza said. Amman leads the intelligence and operations wing of the Tamil Tigers. On Aug. 7 the informant and Yoga met at another location in Queens and discussed various weapons that the Tigers needed, including AK-47s and truck-mounted missile systems.

Federal agents tracked two other Sri Lankan nationals, who they say handled the money for the operation, as they headed from Canada to Queens Aug. 18. They met up with Yoga and the informant in Queens Aug. 19, from where they headed to a Long Island location to discuss with undercover federal agents the eventual purchase of 50-100 surface-to-air missiles and at least 500 AK-47 assault rifles.

The feds also tracked e-mails where the suspects inquired about purchasing arms, unmanned aerial vehicles for jamming radio transmissions and radar, submarine design software, flight lessons, cell towers, radio controller equipment, global positioning system equipment, short wavelength radio equipment, radio and satellite equipment, air traffic equipment, cameras, computers, and a host of other items to be used by the Tamil Tigers

If convicted, the defendants face as much as 25 years in prison.