Pakistani man held for filming US Bank headquarters
A Pakistani citizen is in custody in America after being spotted videotaping the 60-storey Bank of America headquarters and another skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The officer who arrested Kamran Akhtar, 35, said he tried to walk away when officers approached him on July 20 and gave conflicting statements about what he was doing and where he was going.
Videotapes in Akhtar’s possession also showed buildings in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Austin, Texas, as well as transit systems in some of those cities and a dam in Texas, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Akhtar was charged with violating immigration laws and making a false statement, according to US Attorney Gretchen Shappert.
A federal magistrate ordered Akhtar held on criminal charges and a further hearing was scheduled for Friday.
The federal prosecutor listed Akhtar as a resident of the New York City borough of Queens and said he also went under the name Kamran Shaikh.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Darrell Stephens said Akhtar told Officer Anthony Maglione at the time of his arrest that he was making videotapes for family members.
Maglione said Akhtar’s behaviour indicated otherwise.
At a news conference, the officer described Akhtar’s actions as “evasive.”
“His statements were all over the place, from taking these videos for his brother to visiting around town,” Maglione said. “He said he had to hurry up and get back to the bus station” even though Akhtar was headed away from the downtown bus terminal.
A federal affidavit said the tape in Akhtar’s camera and others in his possession showed the Bank of America tower, the signature building on the Charlotte skyline, and a 32-storey skyscraper that houses the local FBI office.
Last week, federal officials issued urgent terror warnings, saying they had uncovered information in Pakistan that indicated five financial institutions in New York, Washington and Newark, New Jersey, were potential targets.
Bush administration officials have said intelligence has indicated al-Qaida wants to strike financial institutions.
