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[yialousa1971]

A Highland Park resident has been arrested by federal authorities who have accused him of agreeing to provide weapons to the Taliban to be used against American troops in Afghanistan.

A sting operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in the arrests of seven men on Feb. 10, including Oded Orbach, 52. The Highland Park homeowner who is originally from Israel is charged with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and conspiracy to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles, according to the criminal complaint. If convicted, Orbach could face life in prison.

Highland Park Mayor Mike Belsky called the arrest "bizarre."

"I don't want to say it's implausible," he said. "I just want to say it's very awkward to me that someone from Israel would be working against Israel's ally."

Belsky said that he was certain that the city's law enforcement was cooperating with the Department of Defense, and would continue to do so throughout this process. Orbach's house was searched by federal authorities the same day he was arrested.

"It's abhorrent to me that it's been alleged that someone living within our community would be working against this country," the mayor added.

Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Terri Olian said that Orbach's arrest was "very distressing." Her opponent, councilwoman Nancy Rotering, said she was "just shocked."

According to the Tribune, "paid informants posing as Taliban representatives conspired with the men to ship narcotics through West Africa—with a portion intended for the United States—and to use the proceeds to buy weapons for protecting Taliban-owned heroin labs in Afghanistan, authorities said."

Sheldon Langer, a Highland Park resident who's met Orbach on a few occasions, said he was "very surprised" to hear the news.

"I just hope it's not true," he said. "It's very sad for the whole family, and very troublesome."

Orbach has 19-year-old twin sons, according to his neighbors. Both of them are students at Highland Park High School.

"It shows a need for vigilance, but I hope people don't overreact," said District 113 School Board candidate Steven Narrod. "This tends to be a very welcoming community, and I hope we don't change that."

http://highlandpark.patch.com/articles/ ... id-taliban