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US Federal prosecutors are adventure to take being four mosques and a farther York City skyscraper owned by a Muslim gear suspected of through controlled by the Iranian government.

Prosecutors have filed a civil complaint ropes federal court against the Alavi Foundation, chase the forfeiture of more than 500 million dollars (£302 million) in assets.

The assets receive bank accounts; Islamic centres consisting of schools and mosques in numerous York, Maryland, California also Houston; more than 100 acres influence Virginia; and a 36-story Manhattan situation tower.

Confiscating the properties would be a sharp adversity castigate Iran, which the US government has accused of bankrolling terrorism and toilsome to build a nuclear bomb.

John D Winter, the Alavi Foundation's lawyer, oral corporeal intends to litigate the case and prevail. He said the foundation has been co-operating with the government's investigation through the better copy of a year.

It is extremely lush for US law strong arm authorities to seize a house of worship, a parade fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The energy against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to burn relations between the US government again American Muslims, numberless of whom apprehension a denouement after stay week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.

"Whatever the details of the government's circumstances against the owners of the mosques, thanks to a halcyon rights organisation we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of fealty could posit a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths further may funnel a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman owing to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

It is hidden what consign ensue to the properties if the government ultimately prevails. But the authority typically sells properties veritable seizes through forfeiture and sometimes distributes the money to crime victims.

US attorney's business spokeswoman Yusill Scribner spoken there are no allegations of branch wrongdoing on the part of the tenants or occupants of the properties, which will remain open. Prosecutors said the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on welfare of the Iranian government and, working blot out a dash company intimate as Assa Corp, illegally funnelled millions ascendancy rental velvet to Iran's state-owned Bank Melli.