Muslims 'Shocked' Over So. Florida Terror Arrests, Worry About Backlash

Muslim-American leaders are expressing "shock" over the arrests of two Miami area imams charged with providing $50,000 to the Pakistani Taliban.

Nezar Hanze of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Saturday at a news conference, "I was very shocked. I was very shocked, just as other members of the community were shocked."

Assad Ba-Yunus of the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Communities added, "What is important to know is that the average American Muslim, like myself, was born and raised here. This is our country. We have members of our family that are in the military, that are in law enforcement.

"I myself was a prosecutor here in Miami for four and a half years, so we are very dedicated to our community. We're law-abiding citizens," Ba-Yunus said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer said indictments against Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, and sons, 24-year-old Izhar Khan and 37-year-old Irfan Khan will lead to broader investigation.

"This was just the tip of the iceberg," Ferrer said.

Hafiz Khan is imam on a Miami mosque and Izhar Khan heads a mosque in Margate.

The expanding probe worries Ba-Yunus.

"We do expect there to be a lot of backlash against our community and our members, and we are working with law enforcement," he said.