US charges men with attempting to support Hezbollah

Two Lebanese men were charged on Tuesday with attempting to provide material support to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah by exporting machine guns to Syria from Philadelphia, US authorities said.                                           

Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb -- along with Moussa Ali Hamdan of New York and Hasan Antar Karaki of Beirut -- were also charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hezbollah, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.                                           

The four men are accused of conspiring to give Hezbollah proceeds from the sale of fake passports, counterfeit money and stolen real money.                                           

The United States lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has two ministers in Lebanon's unity government formed this month.                                           

"The allegations contained in this complaint demonstrate how terrorist organizations rely on a variety of underlying criminal activities to fund and arm themselves," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security.                                           

Six men -- four from New York, one from Plainsboro, New Jersey, and one from Venezuela -- were charged in relation to the case with transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.                                           

If convicted, the men face prison sentences ranging from five to 30 years.