By James DeWeese
“TV is his life,” Irfan said of his brother with a jovial tone. “Deprive him of TV and you can get anything out of him … if there is anything.”The concern Irfan, a doctor who lives in one of the five boroughs, expressed about the self-proclaimed television and movie junkie might be that of any older brother. But his brother's case is far from ordinary and Irfan's concern is more than his humorous anecdote might let on.Kamran Akhtar, a 35-year-old father of three, has been in a North Carolina jail since late July when police said they observed him videotaping several downtown Charlotte, N.C., financial buildings, raising suspicions that he might be a terrorist.Kamran, who according to federal records is in the country illegally, is being held on immigration charges pending an Aug. 23 grand jury hearing to decide whether to indict him, said Peggy Lumpkin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney in Charlotte. During a Friday hearing, Kamran's lawyer, George Miller, did not request bond because it would not have been granted anyway, Irfan said. Kamran also could be charged with lying to the FBI about his immigration status, federal officials said.Akhtar has not been charged with any terror-related crimes, said New York FBI spokesman Joseph Valiquette, but the investigation was ongoing. On Aug. 3, the joint FBI/New York Police Department Counterterrorism Task Force searched Kamran's Ketchum Street apartment with the consent of his wife, Sumaira Azhar, Valiquette said. The authorities seized seven mini-video tapes, according to an FBI receipt issued to Irfan Akhtar, who rushed to the apartment when called by his sister-in-law. Police said the tapes, and the others taken from Kamran in Charlotte, contain footage of potentially sensitive sites in nine cities. The sites, according to the criminal complaint and an NYPD statement include buildings and tourist attractions in New York, Charlotte, Las Vegas and elsewhere.New York sites included the American Express building, the Circle Line, the Museum of National History, the South Street Seaport, the Verizon Telephone Building, the Statue of Liberty and the Williamsburg and Brooklyn bridges, according to a statement from Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne.Federal officials and police have yet to find any conclusive or damning evidence.”As of right now, there's nothing that's been developed that would tie him to any terrorist group,” Valiquette said of Kamran Akhtar. Police issued a similar statement last week.”I see my brother as totally innocent,” said Irfan. “You have time to kill, so what are you going to do,” Irfan said of his brother's videos.His brother, Irfan said, is nothing more than a video-aficionado who – still enthralled with the camera he purchased in March or April — has been touring the country after losing his job at a Manhattan photo store that closed.Except for Irfan's daily visits, the modest apartment where Kamran shared a single bedroom with his wife and three children has been vacant since the FBI search, Irfan said. Sumaira and her children- – Wasma, 5, Maheen, 4, and Harris, 1 – have gone to New Jersey to stay with relatives.Sumaira, a legal permanent resident, has said she wants to return to Pakistan, her homeland, Irfan said. He has counseled against that.”Now the person who always wanted to live here wants to go back,” Irfan said of his sister-in-law, whose marriage was arranged. “I don't want people to say, 'Oh, you ran away scared.'”Kamran has been in the United States since 1989, when he entered on a student visa, Irfan said. Kamran, scion of a wealthy Pakistani family with government connections, wanted only to come to the United States and so never attended classes. Fearing he would not be granted a later asylum request because he broke the conditions of his student visa, Kamran changed his name to Kamran Shaik and applied for a new passport, Irfan said.He entered the United States again in 1991 using the new passport, according to immigration records. But his request for asylum was turned down and he was ordered to leave the country. In the interim, however, Department of Homeland Security, records indicate Kamran's stay was approved based on his wife's residency.Irfan said Kamran never showed up for the mandatory immigration interview to change his status because he was scared that it was a ploy to deport him.Irfan described his brother as “totally Americanized.” Kamran, who rarely attended Muslim prayer services, never let a new-release movie or video pass him by and often fell asleep on a mattress-turned-sofa in his apartment living room while watching television, Irfan said.During the interview, Irfan offered up a family photo album containing a smattering of snapshots from his brother's recent trip to Las Vegas and his son's first birthday party just a few months ago. Most of the travel stills, apparently shot at the same time as some of the video that has raised suspicions, range from tourist shots of Sumaira and their son standing before palm trees and the family lounging around the hotel.Irfan said he wants to make sure people were aware of his brother's plight.”I want my brother to be out, successful, able to raise his hands and head to the people,” Irfan said. “Not like he was (when he was arrested).”Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
