US accuses 3 men of trying to export drone parts to Hezbollah
Two suspects are being held in South Africa, while the third remains at large
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Hezbollah fighters stand on their army vehicle Al-Kheil Valley on the Lebanon-Syria border, July 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury in Minnesota has indicted three people on charges that they conspired to export drone parts and technology to Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US Attorney’s Office for Minnesota said in the announcement Friday that two suspects — brothers Usama and Issam Hamade — are now in custody in South Africa, while Samir Ahmed Berro remains at large. All three are Lebanese citizens with dual citizenship in either South Africa or the United Kingdom.
The indictment alleges the conspiracy operated from 2009 through December 2013. It says the equipment included parts that can be used in drone guidance systems, as well as jet and piston engines for drones.
It’s not clear when the brothers were arrested.
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