Bait ul-Mal Incorporated

The SAAR Network was a flagship corporation that represented interrelated charities, think tanks and business entities focusing on fundraising for terrorist organizations. Its offices in Virginia were raided in 2002 as the U.S. authorities investigated the network by Operation Green Quest, that uncovered evidence of SAAR's support to terrorist activities and groups.

BMI was linked to the SAAR Network through the International Relief Organization (IRO) and its financial affiliate Sana-Bell. IRO has been implicated in financial contributions to charities "suspected or convicted of financing terror," from the Horn of Africa Relief (HARA), to the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), to the Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA). Emerson emphasized that Sana-Bell was established to serve as the financial arm of IRO.

Sana-Bell, a BMI business partner, sued BMI for transferring "at least $3,700,000 to BMI construction and BMI leasing, all of which was transferred to BMI Leasing without Sana-Bell's knowledge or permission." In 2000, Biheiri was held liable for about $2 million and BMI Leasing for $5,000. Emerson pointed out that the "case raised the question of whether the sudden desire to show an interest in accounting for Sana-Bell's investments in BMI was designed to distance Sana-Bell from BMI in order to avoid awkward questions that might have been asked as part of the 1998 embassy-bombing investigations." In fact, the author reported that one of BMI employees had expressed concern that "funds the accountant was transferring overseas on behalf of BMI may have been used to finance the embassy bombings in Africa."

Biheiri's legal issues and trials

Biheiri was condemned on three counts (unlawful procurement of naturalization, materially false statements, false oath in matters relating to naturalization) and pleaded guilty in October 2004 to one count of passport fraud.

On January 13, 2005, Biheiri was sentenced to thirteen months and one day in prison for terrorism and fraud. He denied having financial links to terrorist or terrorist businesses, although legal proceedings and documents collected by U.S. authorities confirmed that he had been administering and investing money for and on behalf of Marzook since the early 1980s.