Oakland Park brothers accused of terrorist activities

Brothers accused of terrorist activities - Two Oakland Park brothers have been arrested and accused of aiding and plotting terrorist activities, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer announced Friday.

Raees Alam Qazi, 20, and Sheheryar Alam Qazi, 30, both naturalized U.S. citizens from Pakistan, were taken into custody on Thursday by FBI agents in Fort Lauderdale.

Both were charged in a two-count indictment alleging that they conspired to provide material support to terrorists and conspired to use a weapon of mass destruction, prosecutors said.

The Qazi brothers made their first appearance at 2:30 p.m. Friday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. A pre-trial detention hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 7.

The charge of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction carries a potential life sentence.

Since at least July 2011 the Qazi brothers conspired to provide material support and resources – including property, services, funding, lodging, communications equipment, personnel and transportation – in preparation for using a weapon of mass destruction, according to the indictment.

The indictment adds that during this time frame the defendants conspired to use explosives against people and property within the United States.

The court documents do not provide details of the alleged terrorist activities or potential targets.