'Pauper' Rana says he cannot flee US

Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana has contended before a US court that his financial status has taken a beating after his arrest by FBI and he cannot flee the country as he will not be able to "fund an international game of hide and seek".

Rana, in a motion filed in a federal court seeking quashing of his detention order, also claimed that he was a Pakistani army deserter and will not risk going there because he might be arrested and court-martialled.

The Chicago businessman, accused of plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper and also under investigation for possible links to 26/11 attacks, was denied bail last month by US judge Nan Nolan, who said he might flee the country if released on bond to escape a possible 30-year prison term.

Nolan said Rana had knowledge in immigration law and financial resources to run away from the US.

Responding to Nolan's concerns that Rana may make use of his net worth of $1.6m to flee the US, his lawyer Patrick Blegen contended that Rana's "businesses have effectively been shut down and are worth nowhere near what he had previously estimated".

"The slaughterhouse and immigration office owned by Rana had been raided by federal agents. As a result of the raids and Rana's detention for the past two months, his businesses have effectively been shut down".

"Rana offered to post his business as security. So, if he were released on bond, he would not be able to sell it to fund his supposed flight," the 14-page motion said.

Rana would only realize $1.6 m if he were able to sell the businesses at a price of two million dollars, the lawyer said. If released pending trial, such a sale would be impossible to conceal from the FBI, he argued.

"The fact of the matter is that Rana cannot remotely fund an international game of hide and seek with the government.
"While the court's belief was that Rana's money would allow him to survive as a fugitive from justice, it misunderstood that the estimated net worth was not liquid and that it would not be available to Rana if he were to be released on a secured bond," the motion said.

"The suggestion that he has $1.6 mavailable to him to fund an escape and flight from justice is simply wrong. His businesses barely kept their heads above water prior to his arrest. In the last two months, his businesses have been all but inoperable, and could provide him with no funds to flee whatsoever," Blegen said.

He said Rana also cannot use his extensive business travel and international business ties to escape to another country. He has turned over his Canadian passport and his expired Pakistani passport is in the government's possession.

"If released pending trial, Rana would be under close monitoring and would also be unable to obtain a new passport". 

 Further, Rana's immediate family ties are to Chicago where his wife and two high school-going children live. Other conditions such as home detention with electronic monitoring would also reasonably assure his appearance, the lawyer said.