Revere raid by terrorism task force results in one arrest

The FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security have joined local police in investigating a Syrian national after a search of his Revere duplex uncovered flight-simulation software, pictures of Osama bin Laden, two small-caliber weapons, police scanners, and radio-jamming equipment, law enforcement and court officials said yesterday.

Somerville and Revere police raided the Orvis Road home of Hammam A. Mousli, 45, at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, expecting to find computers, printers, and other equipment they believed Mousli was using in a sophisticated scheme to buy merchandise using fake UPC code stickers, said David Procopio, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney's office.

But they found much more, prompting them to arrest Mousli and call in federal antiterrorism investigators, according to two law enforcement officials who both spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mousli had multiple copies of Microsoft Flight Simulator software, radio-frequency jamming equipment, radio scanners capable of monitoring law enforcement frequencies, two-way radios, and several books detailing how to use scanners, one listing frequencies used by federal agencies, the officials said.

Investigators also found two pictures of bin Laden among Mousli's belongings, including one from an Arabic-language newspaper, and two guns, including a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and a .22-caliber Winchester rifle, the officials said.

According to the officials, they also found computer and imaging equipment that was sophisticated enough to create realistic-looking counterfeit US currency, fake UPC code stickers that enabled him to buy products for much less than their actual price, and fake Postal Service postage stickers. Police also seized a dozen counterfeit US bills ranging in denomination from $1 to $100.

Procopio confirmed the seizure of the guns and said Mousli was arraigned yesterday on charges of possessing counterfeit notes and possession of a firearm without a state firearms identification card. Mousli was ordered held on $150,000 cash bail at the Nashua Street Jail.

Samantha Martin, a spokeswoman for US Attorney Michael Sullivan and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, declined to comment on the case yesterday. FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said only that the FBI was ''aware of the situation" involving Mousli.

Chelsea District Court Judge Joseph W. Jennings, however, specifically cited the involvement of the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security in the case and the discovery of the electronic scanning equipment and the flight-simulation software as reasons for setting the unusually high bail, a spokesman for the court said yesterday.

One law enforcement official said FBI terrorism investigators were examining the seized items yesterday and an Arabic translator was translating letters, CD-ROMs, and other materials seized.

Mousli was also ordered held on a US Citizenship and Immigration Service detention request due to an expired visa, Procopio said.

After a 10-week investigation initiated by corporate security experts for local Target stores, police believed that Mousli was printing fake stickers that allowed him to buy items for much less than their actual price and then reselling them, possibly on eBay, officials said.

Mousli came to the attention of security in the Watertown Target store in April when he was spotted taking hundreds of dollars of electronic equipment to a cash register, only to have it ring up for less than $47.

Also discovered among Mousli's belongings was a box filled with hundreds of retail clothing security tags and a device used by cashiers to remove them, officials said.

His records also showed that he had numerous bank and checking accounts, as well as an account with PayPal, a company that facilitates purchases over the Internet.

According to court documents, Mousli has several prior arrests for assault and battery, disorderly conduct, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and shoplifting.

Neighbors who saw Mousli come and go from the basement apartment in the brown-and-white duplex described him as a quiet and unfriendly man who never waved or acknowledged them and who always seemed to be bringing home merchandise or putting boxes into his Chevrolet Blazer.

''I saw him bring a lot of boxes in," one neighbor said. ''Oh, he went shopping. He went shopping all right."

Globe correspondent Emily Anthes contributed to this report. Ralph Ranalli can be reached at rranalli@globe.com.