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Indian national pleads guilty in US missile conspiracy
NEW YORK (AFP) Apr 21, 2004
 An Indian national accused of involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles into the United States, has agreed to plead guilty and testify against another man accused in the case.

Moinuddeen Ahmed Hameed, a Malaysian resident, pleaded guilty Tuesday before a New Jersey judge to a charge of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business.

He was arrested in August.

The charge was a reduced one following Hameed's decision to testify against Hemant Lakhani, a Briton of Indian descent, accused of smuggling one Russian shoulder-held SA-18 missile into the United States and planning a further shipment of 50 such weapons.

Lakhani is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges that he tried to sell the missiles to undercover FBI agents posing as Islamic militants from Somalia.

Hameed was accused of helping finance the deal.

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