By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada – A man who was arrested as a national security risk after crossing the US-Canadian border with $800,000 in gold coins was released from custody Thursday. Khaled Nawaya crossed the border into British Columbia on October 6 and was arrested after he lied to border officials, saying he only had 10,000 Canadian dollars

When the Canadian border searched his car they found an additional $100,000 in cash. They also found a ring bearing the Hezbollah insignia and a DVD about September 11 conspiracy theories. Also in his car was a scarf bearing pictures of former US and Israeli presidents depicted to look like monkeys. He was detained because officials originally feared he might belong to the Hezbollah organization and the money might be terrorist funds.

Khaled Nawaya, thirty-four, is a Saudi Arabian-born Syrian who has been living in the U.S. since he was seventeen. He received the money in a lawsuit against the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Society after they gave him false information which caused him to lose his student visa. After he lost his visa he decided to move to Canada and had been approved by the Canadian Immigration Board for permanent residency at the time of his arrest.

Nawaya has fallen under suspicion of U.S. officials before after the September 11, 2001 attacks. His lawyer, Phil Rankin, says the suspicions where likely because he was of Middle Eastern descent and a flight instructor.

Nawaya says he wired money to his brother in Texas who bought the coins for him before he left. He decided to invest in the coins because he does not trust American banks and felt this would be safer. Nawaya says he lied to boarder officials because he was afraid they would tax him if he told the truth.

Nawaya has not been charged with any crime though the Royal Canadian Mounted Police originally recommended he be charged with failure to declare. The Canadian government is still in possession of the gold. Nawaya says he is still in shock but is just thankful for his release.

Nawaya’s lawyer points out that it is not illegal to be pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli. He said “those feelings are shared by hundreds of millions of people and in Canada by tens of thousands of people.”

Although Nawaya still has some immigration issues to sort out he will most likely be allowed to live in Canada.

For more information, please see:

Taiwan News – Syrian Man Arrested at US-Canada Border is Freed – 13 November 2009

Globe and Mail – Flight Instructor Released After Month in Custody – 12 November  2009

CBC – Canadian Border Guards Nab Syrian With $800k in Gold – 11 November 2009