The five people arrested for child abuse in New Mexico after they were found living with 11 children in “Third World” conditions are related to a controversial Muslim faith leader in Brooklyn who has been linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Lucas Morten and Siraj Wahhaj (Spencer A. Burnett; AP)
Siraj Wahhaj, 40; Lucas Morton, 40; Jany Leveille, 35; Hujrah Wahhaj, 38; and Subhanah Wahhaj, 35, were arrested and charged with 11 counts of felony child abuse for keeping the kids, ages 1 to 15, in squalid conditions at a compound made of garbage in the New Mexico desert.
Siraj Wahhaj is also accused of kidnapping his 3-year-old son Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj from Georgia in December.
The child, who reportedly suffers from seizures and other health issues, was not among the kids rescued.
The boy’s mother, who lives in Georgia, told authorities that Siraj Wahhaj kidnapped his son to perform an exorcism on the boy, because he believed the child was possessed by the devil.
Siraj Wahhaj is the son of the Brooklyn imam of the same name, 68, who heads the Masjid At-Taqwa in Bedford-Stuyvesant, several congregants at the mosque confirmed to The Post.
Hujrah and Subhanah are the elder Wahhaj’s daughters. Morton is married to Sabhanah, and Leveille is the younger Wahhaj’s wife, according to public records and statements by the imam.
“Dear Brothers and Sisters, please make duas for the safe return of our children and grandchildren: Siraj, Hujrah, Subhanah Wahhaj, son in law Luqman (Lucas) Morton, and daughter in law Maryam (Jany) Leveille and their children (our 12 grandchildren). We believe they may be traveling together,” the religious leader wrote in a Jan. 5 Facebook post.
Police discovered the imam’s five relatives living with 11 kids in squalid conditions in rural Taos County, N.M., on Friday.
Investigators found the younger Siraj Wahhaj with a a loaded rifle, five 30-round magazines and four loaded pistols.
The imam has a checkered past.
Prosecutors named the elder Siraj Wahhaj — born Jeffrey Kearse — as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He also was a character witness in the trial of convicted terror plotter Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman.
Subhanah also appears to have Big Apple connections. Her Facebook page says she attended CUNY’s Medgar Evers College.
Reps at the Masjid At-Taqwa said the imam was not in Monday afternoon, and he did not respond to messages seeking comment.
By NICK FUGALLO, MAX JAEGER
Source: NYPost
