Charlotte, NC -- Lebanese native who testified at the 2002 trial of two men convicted of smuggling cigarettes to benefit a militant group is accused of firebombing a Charlotte convenience store. Haissam Nashar was arrested on Tuesday, and is being held without bond pending a hearing on Thursday in US District Court. Also charged are three men whom Nashar is accused of hiring to intimidate the rival store. The Midtown Food Mart burned down shortly after it opened in 2002. When it re-opened in early 2004, there were shootings and vandalism. Nashar was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to transporting counterfeit cigarette stamps. He then testified against two brothers charged with operating a smuggling ring that sold cheap North Carolina cigarettes in Michigan without paying state taxes there, then funneled the proceeds to Hezbollah. Hezbollah is the Lebanese militia group the US government considers a terrorist organization.
Key Witness In '02 Hezbollah Case Indicted In Charlotte Firebombing
Haissam Nashar is accused of hiring three men to intimidate a rival Charlotte convenience store.
