Alleged militant mosque leader killed in shootout with FBI

Oct 29, 2009, 4:24 GMT

   Washington - A Detroit mosque leader accused of heading a Muslim militant group died Wednesday in a shootout with federal agents conducting raids that led to the arrests of eight suspects.

   Three additional suspects are wanted on charges including conspiracy, weapons violations and trafficking in stolen goods. There were no terrorism charges, though court documents alleged that the leader had threatened terrorist actions in conversations with FBI informants and undercover agents.

   Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, who was also known as Christopher Thomas, died after allegedly firing on FBI agents executing a search warrant on a warehouse in Dearborn, Michigan, outside Detroit.

   Abdullah led the Masjid al-Haqq, a mosque in Detroit of predominantly African-American converts to Islam.

   'The 11 defendants are members of a group that is alleged to have engaged in violent activity over a period of many years and known to be armed,' the FBI and federal prosecutors said in a statement.

   An FBI dog died of a gunshot in the shootout.