Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Federal agents recently visited the Oxford Valley Mall in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into international terrorism.
According to law enforcement sources and vendors in the Middletown mall, FBI agents were in the mall within the past week looking into the owner of a kiosk near the food court. The kiosk, which bought precious metals, was reportedly owned by a person with alleged ties to an extremist group in the Middle East.
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Middletown Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla confirmed to LevittownNow.com he was aware of a federal investigation into a tenant of the mall, but he did not have further information as his department was not involved in the investigation.
Mall spokesperson Lindsay Doyle said she was not able to discuss matters about tenants and could not comment on any federal investigation.
A Philadelphia FBI spokesperson referred LevittownNow.com to the FBI’s New York offices. FBI New York Spokesman Peter Donald said he couldn’t confirm for certain that agents were at the mall in connection with the investigation into Abror Habibov, 30, who was arrested by the FBI recently on allegations he was financing an alleged plot to get two New York men to Syria so they could fight along side ISIS. However, he did say the 30 year old operated several kiosks within malls in the Philadelphia area and he was working to see if Oxford Valley Mall had a stand operated by Habibov.
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Habibov has operated mall kiosks in Florida, Georgia and Virginia, according to federal court paperwork. Authorities arrested the 30 year old last week in Jacksonville, Florida and arrested the two New York men
It was not believed the man federal authorities were investigating lived in the area or even regularly worked at the kiosk, Bartorilla said.
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“Habibov was in the United States legally, but overstayed his visa, according to police,” a CNN report stated. Habibov was a native of Uzbekistan.
Several employees of mall businesses said the kiosk was there and quickly removed recently. At least two said they heard rumors the operator was allegedly connected to funding the men who wanted to fight along side ISIS.
The location where the kiosk used to be was empty as of late Wednesday afternoon.
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The two-level, “super-regional mall” is often patrolled by private security and officers from Middletown, who operate a police substation on the first level.
