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Before FBI arrest, man quietly settled in here
By ROBERT KING, Times Staff Writer
SPRING HILL -- In the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hatem Fariz was a popular source of information about the Muslim community in Chicago, where he was living at the time. He was president of the Chicago Muslim Center, where 600 worshipers offered special prayers three days after the attacks, and local news media were tapping him regularly for comment on the Muslim view of the attacks. "We are Muslims, but we had nothing to do with this deplorable act," he told the Chicago Tribune on Sept. 14, 2001. "Our Islam doesn't permit this." Three weeks later, he proclaimed his loyalty to the United States to the student newspaper at Northwestern University in Chicago. "We are American Muslims," Fariz said. "Whatever the president decides on doing, we are behind." But within a few months, Fariz -- arrested Thursday in connection with Sami Al-Arian and the financing of Middle Eastern terrorists -- was relocating to Spring Hill, starting a new job and getting his family settled into a new community. Fariz's new job was to manage the offices -- one on Northcliffe Boulevard in Spring Hill and the other in the PineBrook Regional Medical Center west of Brooksville -- of Drs. Ayman Osman and Samar Shakfeh-Elgendy. Dr. Osman said Fariz simply applied for the job, had a good interview and was hired. He wouldn't elaborate on how the two came into contact. Dr. Shakfeh-Elgendy told the Times she left the hiring to her partner and has no idea how the connection was made. By January 2002, Fariz, his wife, Manal, and their two small children were renting a house at 1275 Farley Ave. Nestled in a quiet little neighborhood just south of the intersection of Spring Hill and Waterfall drives, the home has a pool, a grapefruit tree and a view of a dry lake bed. Neighbor Carolyn Beachy, who became acquaintanced with the Fariz family and visited their home, said the family wanted to see how much they liked Spring Hill -- and how well they could stand being away from family in Chicago -- before buying a house. Fariz seemed like a devoted family man, Beachy said. "I really can't believe he would do something like this. Maybe he is the victim of circumstances or stereotypes because of where he is from," Beachy said. Fariz, 30, is the son of Palestinian parents but has lived most of his life in the United States. Dr. Shakfeh-Elgendy said Fariz had lived at least part of his life in Palestine. Fariz got a Florida driver's license and registered to vote -- as a Democrat. His 5-year-old son enrolled in kindergarten at Deltona Elementary. The boy remained a student there until May, when he was withdrawn when the school year ended. Beachy said the Farizes told her the boy had been teased by other students because of his Muslim background and that they had enrolled him in the Muslim school in Tampa. In July, Fariz was stopped by a Hernando County sheriff's deputy for speeding. He was doing more than 10 mph over the limit. He went to traffic school and paid a fine of $105. In November, he voted absentee at the county offices at Forest Oaks Boulevard. At work, Fariz -- who has a computer science degree -- was responsible for managing the staff, setting schedules and handling all the business affairs. Both doctors -- each a native of Syria -- say they had limited contact with Fariz because they were busy seeing patients. One of those patients, Lois Kessler, showed up Thursday for an appointment at the Northcliffe office to find it closed and a sign on the door that said: "Closed due to emergency. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please call to reschedule any appointments." The emergency was a raid by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. And it mirrored a similar ransacking at the doctors' PineBrook office. Both doctors say they were never aware that Fariz was involved in raising money for terrorists, as was alleged in the federal indictments. And both said Fariz never asked them for money. Yet they reacted differently to the news of Fariz's arrest. Dr. Shakfeh-Elgendy said she knows Hatem Fariz as an excellent worker who showed respect for everyone in the office. She says he was a person who cares deeply for his wife and children and loves his parents in Chicago. He never talked about politics or said anything negative about Israel, the main target of the terrorist groups he is accused of supporting. "I don't think he is a terrorist," she said. "I don't believe so." Dr. Osman, meanwhile, said that Fariz was fired as of his arrest Thursday. He did not proclaim the innocence of his now ex-office manager. Instead, he said only that if Fariz did anything wrong, he must have done it in Chicago. While "heartsick" about the arrest, Osman also said: "We are also comforted to know that our government has put in place measures which can locate and protect us from those who mean to do Americans and our allies harm." At Fariz's home, seven cars crowded in front of his Farley Avenue home after the arrest. Jean Wendell, a neighbor who knew the family only from the strolls on the street, thought they must have had overnight guests. Then she saw on TV that the FBI had been there. "I'm just kind of shocked," Mrs. Wendell said. "I think it's good they're checking out everything." On Friday morning, Manal Fariz opened the door briefly to a Times reporter. She wouldn't grant an extended interview, but she offered a word of support for her husband, who stands charged with a number of crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder outside the United States. "I'm just shocked," she said. "It's just a fabrication. When someone says something like that I don't know what to say." -- Times researcher Cathy Wos and staff writer Jeffrey Solochek contributed to this report. THE LINKS TO HATEM NAJI FARIZThe federal indictment unsealed by John Ashcroft on Thursday is 121 pages long, with about 12 specifically mentioning Spring Hill resident Hatem Naji Fariz, 30, who moved to the area from Chicago in 2002. Here's what the indictment chronicles about Fariz's ties to Sami Al-Arian and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad: 1990s: Fariz worked with Al-Arian, Sameeh Hammoudeh, Ghassan Zayed Ballut, Bashie Musa Mohammed Nafi and others to support the PIJ Enterprise through fundraising and support activities. JUNE 16, 1995: Fariz talked on the phone with Al-Arian, saying he had recently received some excellent "goods." Al-Arian warned Fariz not to send anything, to keep it, distribute it in his area and be cautious. It's not clear what the "goods" are. MAY 11, 2000: Fariz called Hammoudeh about recent elections at an institution in Chicago, where Fariz and Ballut would be permanent members of the institution's executive board. Fariz asked Hammoudeh to pass that information to Al-Arian to assure him they were in control. MAY 26, 2002: Fariz and Abd Al Aziz Awda speak on the phone about donations to the terrorist organization Hamas. During the conversation, Fariz complained that Floridians were stingier than Chicago residents. Floridians have incomes, Fariz said, but they are suspicious about who gets the money. Awda responded that the funds were for "the poor people." He asked Fariz whether he sent $4,500 or $4,700 last time. Fariz wasn't sure, but thought it was $4,000. JUNE 5, 2002: Ballut called Fariz, asking if Fariz had heard about the suicide car bombing near Haifa that killed 17 people and wounded 45. The attack was attributed by Ballut to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Fariz said he would watch the news that night at home. Later, Fariz talked with Al-Arian on the phone about the Haifa bombing. Al-Arian said he had heard about it, and sarcastically said that Fariz seemed upset or sad about it. Fariz laughed. JUNE 7, 2002: Fariz talked on the phone with Ballut about Al-Arian's continued problems with the government. He said the situation was bad because the media kept connecting the June 5 bombing to the University of South Florida and Al-Arian. JUNE 19, 2002: Ballut called Fariz because the U.S. government had obtained Ballut's financial records from his bank. Fariz asked if Ballut used more than one bank. Ballut said no. Fariz informed Al-Arian about the examination of the bank account. Al-Arian refused to discuss it on the phone and said he would stop by to speak with Fariz that night. AUG. 28, 2002: Ballut called Fariz to discuss preparations in the event of Al-Arian's arrest. SEPT. 5, 2002: Al-Arian called Fariz to get his Social Security number because he needed it for a shipment that had arrived. Fariz gave Al-Arian the information, then asked for Hammoudeh's cell phone number. Fariz said he had spoken to "Abu Yousef" and hoped to cut a check by the end of the day. SEPT. 6, 2002: Fariz talked on the phone with Hammoudeh, Al-Arian and another man about the updated donor list for the Islamic Academy of Florida. Fariz recommended against membership for an American Muslim who had worked with Global Relief in Bridgeview, Ill., which had been under investigation for terrorism connections. Letting him join might arouse suspicious of law enforcement, Fariz warned. The IAF had excellent standing and didn't need more questions than it was already getting through the scrutiny of the local community. Fariz and Al-Arian spoke about collecting donations from Fariz's employer. SEPT. 13, 2002: Fariz and Ballut talked on the phone about three PIJ members who had recently been killed, about Ramadan Abdullah Shallah going into the hospital for depression, and about Abd Al Aziz Awda's gratitude for money, although it was less than last year. SEPT. 24, 2002: Fedaa Al-Najaar talked on the phone with Fariz about her husband's treatment, blaming it on his Palestinian heritage. Fariz said that was one reason, but the main reason was her husband's association with terrorist organizations. He advised her not to discuss it further. He said the government did not know the extent of her husband's association with these groups. Fariz said they would continue to claim other reasons for their treatment, mainly being Palestinians, Muslims who are occupied and ousted from their countries. SEPT. 30, 2002: Fariz talked on the phone with Ballut about trying to call Shallah twice on Sept. 29. NOV. 10, 2002: Fariz had a phone conversation with Awda about fundraising and money distribution. Fariz said Awda's organization had become a security concern in the United States, and urged Awda to change his organization's name, be wary of informants and compartmentalize information. Fariz said he had begun to use a shell organization he had established but not used for several years.
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