An imam with ties to mosques in Florida and Iowa has been arrested on immigration fraud charges. Ibrahim Dremali and his wife Safaa Rashad Eissa were arrested in Texas last week and will return to Iowa to face charges, the Iowa Independent reports.

Dremali founded the Islamic Center of Boca Raton before becoming an imam in Des Moines. While in Florida, his mosque co-sponsored a rally in 2000 which featured Hizballah flags and chants of "with jihad we'll claim our land. Zionist blood will wet the sand."

In addition, Dremali testified on behalf of Adham Amin Hassoun during a 2002 bond hearing, attesting to Hassoun's "peaceful and generous" character. Hassoun would later be indicted for "actively recruiting mujahideen fighters and raising funds for violent jihad" and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, and maim persons in a foreign country," in order to "advance violent jihad," including "murder, kidnapping, and maiming," to establish "Islamic states under Sharia."

Hassoun was convicted in 2007.

Dremali is in poor health, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Iowa chapter said in a Facebook posting:

"Please CALL SENATOR HARKIN'S OFFICE TODAY AND ASK FOR HIS HELP TO STOP THE ORDERED APPEARANCE IN DES MOINES ON OCTOBER 20TH and HAVE THE CHARGES DROPPED!!!"

For more on Dremali, see our report on the Islamic Center of Boca Raton and the Iowa Independent's coverage of the arrest.