Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 18, Number 8, DeMotte, Jasper County, 16 January 1948 — FIVE SEIZED IN ATTEMPT TO SHIP TNT [ARTICLE]

FIVE SEIZED IN ATTEMPT TO SHIP TNT

Five Others Are Being Sought By Government Agents Following Finding ; of Explosives New York Jan. 15 Five men were arrested today by the federal bureau of investigation in connection with attempted shipments of explosives to Palestine. Five others, two of whom were believed en route to the Holy Land, were being sought. The 10 men were'accused 6f violating the federal code by givm gallegedly false statments as to the nature of shipments offered for export. Maximum penalty is 10 years’ imprisonment and a >I,OOO fine. The charges were based on two shipments brought to a Jersey City pier Jan. 3, both of which were consigned to firms in Palestine. 20,000 Pounds of Tnt. FBI Special Agent Edward Scheidt said orte group of 30 crates was found to contain 20,000 pounds of TNT, and another shipment of 58 cases contained several thousand blasting caps, and 54,000 nickel primer caps. Crates in both shipments were marked “used industrial machinery and parts,” he said. Contents of the crates were discovered when a crate broke while loading. Following arraignment of the five men before Federal Judge William Bondy, one of their attorneys, Lester R. Bachner, said none of the accused men had ever been in trouble before. “If they violated the law, it was with the highest of motives,” he added. All from New York City. Those arraigned, and who will await federal grand jury action, identified themselves as Philip Alper, 23, Moses Wolfson, 34, Jack Dorfman, 2G, Joseph Seiger, 24, and Martin Adelson, 21, all of New York city. They were released in SI,OOO bail each. Federal warrants have been issued for the arrest of two of the others who FBI agents believe left for Palestine last Nov. 1. They were identified by the FBI as Nehanian Yardeni, described as the owner of Martech Export company of New York, which was listed as shipper of the blasting caps, and Awadji Joselewitch, named as the owner of the Oved Trading company of New York, listed as' shipper of the TNT.